So matches tournament best with 709 and Antalya top seed

Korea’s So Chaewon scored 709 out of a possible 720 points in qualification to rank first at the second stage of the 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Antalya, Turkey, matching her tournament best from the last Asian Championships, which was also the highest total shot by a compound woman in 2017.

“I say to myself, ‘I can do it, I can do it, I can handle it’. If I keep singing that tune, it helps me to trust myself,” said So. “I feel less under pressure when I’m shooting and if I’m shooting well I have more belief in myself to keep it going.”

Jyothi Surekha Vennam of India seeded second with 706 points and Denmark’s Tanja Jensen was third on 701.

Ranked number nine in the world arriving at stage two of the international circuit, Chaewon took her first-ever individual medal at the season’s first stop in Shanghai, finishing third.

The 20-year-old archer from the Hyundai Mobis professional team also averaged 9.7 points per arrow in China, 0.1 more than her competition pace over the previous season.

“I was really happy to get my first individual medal and I’m expecting more going forward,” said So.

Yesim Bostan, Sarah Prieels, Paige Pearce Gore, Shanghai top seed Choi Bomin and Jeanine van Kradenburg (698) completed the top eight in Antalya. The eight highest seeds receive byes to the third round of eliminations.

World number one Sara Lopez, who won in Shanghai and qualified the first place to the 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final in Samsun, Turkey, did not attend stage two, instead opting to focus on her studies.

It’s expected that the results of Antalya will shake-up the top 10 of the compound women’s world rankings, with five athletes sitting within 30 ranking points of each other.

“It’s definitely an opportunity I’m going to try to take,” said Jensen, ranked number 10 in the world. 

“I think everybody wants to go to the World Cup Final and have a chance there, too. So I’m going to put in my best effort and see where it takes me.”

Korea also topped the compound women’s team and compound mixed team ranking round in Antalya.

The second stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup takes place in Antalya, Turkey on 20-26 May.