Kim Jongho and Sara Lopez won the individual compound gold medals at the first stage of the 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Shanghai, China in April – and qualified for the circuit final at the end of the year.
Jongho lost in the fourth round in Antalya, while Lopez skipped the stage to focus on studies.
We’ll have two more athletes join the roster for the 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final in Samsun, Turkey, by the time compound finals – this time on Friday – are complete.
MIKE SCHLOESSER 
/ KRIS SCHAFF 
Compound men’s gold final
/ 
This match will likely come down to which version of Mister Perfect turns up in the finals arena.
If it’s the Schloesser that looked nervous against Braden Gellenthien in the Shanghai bronze medal match, Schaff will take this match.
If it’s the Schloesser that averaged 149/150 in the Antalya eliminations, then it’s all Schloesser’s.
Schaff has increased his per point average accuracy in 2018 a touch – and most of that jump has come in matchplay. Over a 15-arrow 50-metre match, it’s worth almost a full point, which may not sound like much but at this level, is massive.
Will it make the difference?
The pick: Mike
YESIM BOSTAN 
/ PAIGE PEARCE GORE
Compound women’s gold final
/ In the last two years, Bostan has finished second at the World Archery Championships, second at the World Archery Indoor Championships and second at the Hyundai Archery World Cup stage in Berlin in 2017.
Her first individual medal on the circuit came in Antalya in 2016 – and, forget any statistics, she deserves to win gold, at home, here on the beach in her home country.
Gore’s no push over and after saying she’ll embrace the opportunity to compete on the Turkish world number four’s home turf (or rocks, on this particular beach), is capable of causing an upset.
The pick: Yesim
NIMA MAHBOUBI MATBOOE 
/ BRADEN GELLENTHIEN
Compound men’s bronze final
/ A first time contender on the Hyundai Archery World Cup circuit and it’s a first finals match for Iran’s Nima. He won’t get an easy ride in this bronze medal match against the defending tour champion.
Gellenthien lost his Antalya semifinal in a shoot-off to teammate Schaff and had bronze at stage one in Shanghai.
As he put it earlier in the week: “[World Cup ranking] points are at a premium and I’ll take all I can get.”
The pick: Braden
SO CHAEWON 
/ CHEN YI-HSUAN 
Compound women’s bronze final
/ 
Antalya marks a second bronze medal match in a row for Korean number one seed So Chaewon, who – like the rest of her compound squad – won’t be attending either of the other stages of the international circuit this year.
To qualify for the Hyundai Archery World Cup Final, she’ll need to bag as many points as possible in Antalya, and coming third brings more than finishing fourth.
World number five Chen finished second in Antalya – and, like So, is going for her second consecutive podium on the circuit.
The pick: Chaewon
The second stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup takes place in Antalya, Turkey on 20-26 May.
