Mike Schloesser, Alexis Ruiz, Oh Jin Hyek and Jeon Hunyoung won gold medals at the Macau Indoor Archery Open, the second leg of the 2019 Indoor Archery World Series, and secured the maximum available 250 ranking points towards qualification for the circuit final.
“I had a lot of great matches and a really good qualification so that gave me confidence but the level here was higher than I expected,” said Schloesser, who beat Indian international Rajat Chauhan in the final.
“I needed to show my game and I did. Getting that first win of the season is a real confidence boost.”
Schloesser scored 598 out of a possible 600 points for the 60-arrow 18-metre ranking round to lead all compound men in Macau.
He shot three consecutive matches of 149 points to start eliminations, and then followed that with a 148 in the semifinals.
Mike was two points up on Chauhan after nine arrows of the final and was left needing a nine to win with his final shot, which he got to win that last contest, 147-146.
Last season’s Vegas Champion Alexis Ruiz averaged over 146 points in matchplay as she cruised to a compound women’s finals win over Alim Nur Syahidah from Singapore.
The recurve women’s competition came down to four archers from Korean pro teams.
Jung Dasomi beat new world record holder Ryoo Su Jung to third place, before Hyundai Department Store’s Jeon Hunyoung – a youth and student international – took a four-set victory over three-time Olympic gold medallist Yun Mi Jin.
(Mi Jin won individual gold at Sydney 2000 and team golds in 2000 and 2004.)
The recurve men’s competition boiled down to a final between two Olympic medallists: London 2012 winner Oh Jin Hyek and France’s silver medallist from Rio 2016, Jean-Charles Valladont, who had tied atop the ranking round on 594.
Jin Hyek shot six 10s to start the match and found himself 5-1 up after three sets.
A nine from Valladont with the third arrow of the fourth gave his opponent the chance to close it out by drawing the set – and Oh Jin Hyek delivered an excellent 10 into the top face of his triple spot.
He won the match and his first event of this indoor season, 6-2.
After two events of the 2019 Indoor Archery World Series, Jin Hyek now ties Steve Wijler on top of the recurve men’s elite ranking with 250 points; Jeon Hunyoung and Casey Kaufhold lead the recurve women on 250; Mike Schloesser leads the compound men on 310, and Toja Ellison and Alexis Ruiz lead the compound women with 250.
The new open ranking, which lists all participants based on the best combined ranking round scores is led by Thomas Aubert (1117), Gabriela Bayardo (1159), Mike Schloesser (1194) and Sarah Prieels (595).
The 2019 Indoor Archery World Series continues on 15/16 December at the Roma Archery Trophy.
The Macau Indoor Open is the second stage of the 2019 Indoor Archery World Series.
