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Last-eight line-ups decided for compounds at world championships

23 September 2021

Yankton, South Dakota, USA

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Compound archers shoot at the 2021 Hyundai World Archery Championships.

It’s a real mix of archers – and nations – that will take to the arena for compound finals in Yankton.

Jean Philippe Boulch, Mathias Fullerton, Miguel Becerra, Nico Wiener, Chris Perkins, Robin Jaatma, Abhishek Verma and Mike Schloesser are still alive in the men’s competition, while the remaining women are Sara Lopez, Sarah Prieels, Natalia Avdeeva, Toja Ellison, Amanda Mlinaric, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Andrea Becerra and Song Yun Soo.

There are 14 different countries represented in the elite eights, with only India and Mexico putting a contender into both the women’s and men’s quarterfinals.

They are, incidentally, two of the winningest countries to have never won a gold medal at the worlds.

Four former winners of the championships will shoot for a second title.

They are Chris Perkins (2011) and Mike Schloesser (2013) in the men, and Song Yun Soo (2017) and defending World Archery Champion Natalia Avdeeva in the women’s event.

Two of the winners of the recent youth worlds, Robin Jaatma and Amanda Mlinaric, also have a shot at the senior crown. The last archer to unify those titles was Stephan Hansen in 2015.

The top seed in the women’s event, Sara Lopez, survived the eliminations but men’s favourite Evren Cagiran was upset in a third-round shoot-off by Jean Philippe Boulch, who shot a better 10.

Lopez, who is regarded as the best compound woman of all time, has never won the world championships.

In the format used for these world championships, all individual matches from the quarterfinals take place in the arena.

While Perkins might fly the flag of Canada, he has the closest thing to a home advantage of any archer in the elite eights. (With no compound shooter from the USA making the last phase of the event.)

As well being from the geographically neighbouring country, the 2011 World Archery Champion travels to Yankton regularly to compete. No compound archer has ever won the worlds twice.

“Ten years ago doesn’t seem that long. You know, it’s kind of a moment I can relive and especially stepping on this field,” he said. “My first one pretty much changed my archery career, and pretty much it’s what kicked me off for doing this as a full-time profession.”

“To win a second one, I would… would absolutely be over the moon for sure.”

The compound titles at the 2021 Hyundai World Archery Championships will be decided on Saturday in Yankton.