Brackets were broken and favourites knocked out of the world champion title race as the early individual matches of Mexico City 2017 took place on day three of competition at the Campo Marte.
Our four biggest upsets from the first two rounds of elimination.
1. LILY PAONAM (53) beat SARA LOPEZ (12)
The world number two scored just 140 points, well below her average, and lost to India’s Paonam in the second round.
“Reo Wilde once told me, you can’t win every time,” said Lopez. “The ambitions I had to win these championships were so big, they beat me.”
“Even if I accomplished most of the goals I had this year, this one just slipped away. But it’s good that it happened like this – because it gives me the chance to keep fighting for something.”
She added that the loss has only made her more determined and she wouldn’t stop shooting until she won the worlds.
2. JAKE KAMINSKI (50) beat BRADY ELLISON (15)
A 6-4 victory to Kaminski in a tight second round match. Both archers had 141 points total, but the 50th seed won two sets to Ellison’s one. (They split the last two.)
The last time the pair met was in the second round of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games – a match that Brady won on route to his bronze medal.
3. ALBERTO BLAZQUEZ (58) beat PATRICK ROUX (10)
A disappointing result for South Africa’s Roux, who posted his personal best international score over the 50-metre ranking round with 710 points during qualification.
Blazquez shot 141/150 in his first match and found six more points in this, his second.
4. KHATUNA NARIMANIDZE (54) beat AIDA ROMAN (11)
Forty-three year old Khatuna, who is also President of the Georgian federation, shot a 9.17 average arrow to beat Roman’s 9.0.
The Mexican Olympic silver medallist, who will still shoot for a medal – team gold with Alejandra Valencia and Mariana Avitia – at this, her home world championships, didn’t seem upset.
“She beat me,” she said, matter-of-factly.
Mexico has never had a senior World Archery Champion and the Mexican recurve women have a chance to make history on Sunday in the Zocalo.
The 2017 Hyundai World Archery Championships run 15-22 October in Mexico City, Mexico.
