Mike Schloesser beat Domagoj Buden, 146 to 145 points, in the compound men’s gold medal match at the fourth stage of the 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Berlin, Germany. It was his second stage win of the season after Antalya and handed Pierre-Julien Deloche a ticket to the season-ending final in the process.
“It was really satisfying. Shooting felt awesome all week. My level was really good, even in the final, even if my last arrow wasn’t that good; 146 in those conditions, I’m pretty satisfied with it,” said Schloesser.
Already qualified for the Hyundai Archery World Cup Final in Samsun after winning in Antalya, Mike had no pressure on the Berlin final, but he wanted to win.
His opponent, Buden, would also win a ticket with victory under the new win-and-in rule for 2018. If he lost, it went to Deloche of France, who was watching from the stand.
“This match against Domagoj was so intense. So much pressure and so beautiful archery with so X10s and 10s. It was a good rhythm, in this match,” said Deloche.
Both archers dropped a nine with their first arrows, then Mike shot 10 straight 10s. Domagoj shot nine of 10 in the middle.
With a one-point advantage heading into the final end, Croatia’s Buden put two in the nine. Schloesser finished with 10, 10 and… eight; just enough.
“The shot felt good, technically,” said Mike. “But I should have been more patient.”
It was an heart-in-mouth moment in the spectator stands.
“I saw Mikey shooting a bad arrow in his last arrow. I was really on high pressure until his last arrow. When I saw the eight, I was like, did he won? Am I qualified or not? There was suspense,” said Deloche.
Schloesser had won, and Deloche had qualified.
“He was really happy. He came and hugged me and was like ‘awesome, thank you for this’ and it was really nice from him,” said Mike.
One of the first to congratulate Deloche was French teammate Sebastien Peineau who, although out of the running for Samsun, did finish with compound men’s bronze in Berlin.
Peineau beat Peter Elzinga, Schloesser’s Dutch teammate, 146-143 for the medal.
The fourth stage of the 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup takes place in Berlin, Germany on 16 to 22 July.
