Sara Lopez named World Games athlete of the month after Lockdown Knockout win

Colombian world number two Sara Lopez has been named the athlete of May 2020 by the World Games following her victory in the inaugural Lockdown Knockout.

Lopez defeated Anders Faugstad, 146-144, in the final of archery’s first remote tournament.

The 25-year-old won the compound women’s event at the last World Games held in Wroclaw, Poland in 2017. She was previously named the International World Games Association’s athlete of the month in April 2014.

Sara received 1000 CHF in prize money for winning the Lockdown Knockout, which she has donated to charity.

“I made this decision because even though I’m not receiving the money that I usually get from competitions, I know that some people need it more right now,” she said. “Especially in my country where the people have lost their jobs and are struggling to find a way to feed their families.”

Lopez will receive a diploma and a gift from World Games athlete of the month sponsor Protective Life.

The International World Games Association celebrates 40 years since its foundation in 2020. Archery has featured on the programme of this multisport event since its second edition in London in 1985.

Recurve and barebow archers competed in field archery events at the World Games until 1993, when compound was added. The compound competition changed to the target discipline in 2013.

Alongside Lopez, past winners of the World Games include Reo Wilde, Erika Jones, Lina Bjorklund, Trish Lovell, Petra Ericsson, Lisa Unruh, Giuseppe Seimandi, Dave Cousins, Jay Barrs, Jean-Charles Valladont and Michele Frangilli.

Morgan Lundin is the winningest archer in the history of the World Games having taken golds in 1993, 1997 and 2005.

The next edition of the World Games will take place in Birmingham, USA in 2022. It was previously scheduled for 2021 but delayed a year following the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.