Preview: Guatemala opens Hyundai Archery World Cup’s 15th season
The break has been long enough. It’s time for the Hyundai Archery World Cup to return for its 15th season – and we’re opening this year’s circuit in the capital city of Guatemala.
Three of the four reigning Hyundai Archery World Cup Champions – Brady Ellison, Mike Schloesser and Sara Lopez – will take to the competition field next week. In the case of Ellison and Lopez, it’s not only the start of a title defence, but also of their campaigns for a record-sixth trophy. The pair are tied on five entering the season.
This event in Guatemala is the first of three consecutive months of Hyundai Archery World Cup stages. We’ll visit Lausanne, Switzerland, in May and then Paris in June.
Increases in prize money, a change to the format of the finals sessions – meaning we’ll see the individual semifinals broadcast from the arena – and a return to the old single-arrow shoot-off rule are among the changes made to the rules ahead of the season.
Who is going to be good this year? Whose level has dropped off? Who is going to round into form ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games? The excitement of a new season is upon us, and there are so many questions to be answered.
Some of those answers will come next week because, finally, the World Cup is back.
Key information
What’s happening? The opening stage of the 15th season of the Hyundai Archery World Cup on 19-25 April 2021 in Guatemala City.
What’s at stake? Stage winners automatically book a ticket for the Hyundai Archery World Cup Final in September.
What’s the story? We’re back! It’s been more than 18 months since the last circuit trophies were awarded in Moscow. Who knows what has changed since then – and what has not.
Schedule
- Tuesday 20 April: Qualification
- Wednesday 21 April: Compound eliminations
- Thursday 22 April: Recurve eliminations
- Friday 23 April: Team bronze medals
- Saturday 24 April: Compound finals
- Sunday 25 April: Recurve finals
How to watch
Coverage of the first stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup is being shown worldwide by broadcast partners. The following sessions are being streamed on World Archery’s YouTube channel and via the Olympic Channel in certain territories.
- Live: Compound team finals – 24 April, starting at 10h00 UTC-6 (local)
- Live: Compound finals – 24 April, starting at 14h00 UTC-6 (local)
- Live: Recurve team finals – 25 April, starting at 10h00 UTC-6 (local)
- Live: Recurve finals – 25 April, starting at 10h00 UTC-6 (local)
Live scores will be available on the World Archery website, and there will be coverage on World Archery’s digital platforms throughout the competition.
Qualifying for the final
Each individual winner at a stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup circuit automatically qualifies for the Hyundai Archery World Cup Final, which will take place in autumn.
Eight archers compete in each category at the season-ending event. One spot is reserved for a representative of the host nation, and the remaining places, which aren’t already awarded to stage gold medallists, are issued on the circuit ranking after the last stage. (There’s a cap of two athletes from one country in each category.)
Except – there is one more qualification route in 2021. The individual winners of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, one recurve man and one recurve woman, will also be invited to this year’s Hyundai Archery World Cup Final. They’ll be exempt from the nationality cap, too.
Circuit calendar
- Stage 1: Guatemala City, Guatemala – 19-25 April
- Stage 2: Lausanne, Switzerland – 17-23 May
- Stage 3: Paris, France – 21-17 June (includes Olympic qualifier)
- Final: To be confirmed.
Who’s competing?
These were the winners of the most recent opening stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup, held in the Colombian city of Medellin in 2019:
- Recurve men: Brady Ellison, USA
- Recurve women: Kang Chae Young, Korea (not competing)
- Compound men: Mike Schloesser, Netherlands
- Compound women: Sara Lopez, Colombia
These are the top-ranked archers competing in Guatemala City:
- Recurve men: Brady Ellison, USA (world rank: 1)
- Recurve women: Deepika Kumari, India (world rank: 9)
- Compound men: Braden Gellenthien, USA (world rank: 1)
- Compound women: Alexis Ruiz, USA (world rank: 1)
A total of 158 archers from the national teams of Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, India, Iraq, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, USA, the US Virgin Islands and Yemen, a total of 25 countries, are registered for this tournament.
Competition at the first stage of the 2021 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Guatemala City starts with qualification on Tuesday.
