Italy dominates France in recurve men’s team final
Italy’s Mauro Nespoli, Marco Galiazzo and David Pasqualucci beat France in three sets in the recurve men’s team final at the 2017 Hyundai World Archery Championships, claiming the nation’s second-ever world title in the category and third medal of the event.
“In Copenhagen we lost the final match and now we took revenge,” said Pasqualucci. “We’re happy with the way we shot and to win is, for sure, fantastic.”
Nespoli added: “Here the team has been very strong and my teammates also, we felt very good.”
Entering the final, each of the two European nations had won one men’s team title each, since head-to-head matches were introduced in 1987 – France in 1993 and Italy in 1999.
A tight match was expected, but Jean-Charles Valladont, Thomas Chirault and Pierre Plihon never seemed to enter into the match, and the Italians won in straight sets, 6-0.
Shooting the last 10 to win, Nespoli said he focused on minimising mistakes: “Marco was good at reminding me what we had been doing, how strong we were, so I closed myself and shot a beautiful arrow that landed in the 10.”
“France suffered with nerves more than us,” said Pasqualucci.
The youngest in the arena, Chirault opened the match with a six on the left, leaving France in a significant hole. The French team changed rotation, Plihon going first – ahead of Chirault – but the French team never found the right pace.
“The last end was good, we were back in the track, but it was the third and it was over, we didn't have time to express ourselves,” 20-year-old Chirault explained. “I'm still satisfied, we do not have gold but we still got this far. At least we can try again in two years!”
This French line-up won gold at the Hyundai Archery World Cup stage in Berlin and silver at these championships, the two events at which they have shot as a team.
“It’s just a shame to miss the final, we never managed to get into the match – but it’s still satisfying to get the medal,” Olympic silver medallist Valladont concluded.
France’s last medal in this event at the worlds was silver in Turin 2011.
Pasqualucci and Nespoli – with Michele Frangilli rather than Galiazzo – finished second in 2015.
Korea beat Canada to the recurve men’s team bronze medal.
With three Olympic medallists in Kim Woojin, Oh Jin Hyek and Im Dong Hyun, the Korean squad looked impressive. Crispin Duenas, with Brian Maxwell and Hamilton Nguyen at their first worlds, had no say in a one-sided, 6-0, match.
The 2017 Hyundai World Archery Championships run 15-22 October in Mexico City, Mexico.
