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Lopez collects coveted pairs title as Colombia wins World Games

9 July 2022

Birmingham, Alabama, USA

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Colombia celebrates compound mixed team gold at the World Games in 2022.

Colombia has won the compound mixed team champion title at the World Games after Sara Lopez and Daniel Munoz snuck two left 10s for a perfect score of 20 points to beat the Netherlands in a tiebreak decider in the final. The 16 regulation arrows had finished all-square at 154 apiece and Dutch duo shot 19 in the shoot-off.

“I am so, so over the moon right now,” said Lopez. “I am so relieved that this is over. It was really hot. I’m just so proud and so happy right now.”

Colombia took a one-point lead in the second end after the first finished tied at 39. The Netherlands stole ahead in the third, 116-115, but neither team could find an advantage in the fourth. In the tiebreak, Colombia shot first and took the match with Munoz’s second around landing in the 10. There was some doubt in the arena about the value of Lopez’s opener – but it clearly cut the line at the target.

Both teams featured world number ones who lost out on individual gold in Alabama: Lopez settled for individual silver this morning, while Mike Schloesser had lost in the individual quarterfinals yesterday. Despite that quality, Colombia had only seeded fifth and the Netherlands’ sixth in qualification.

In the lead-up to the World Games and during competition this week, Lopez had been talking about prioritising the pairs event.

“That is what I wanted,” said Lopez. “I wanted a gold with Danny and that’s what I got. It was a really tough match. I have admired Mikey for my whole life so shooting with him is such an honour.”

Earlier this month, Lopez and Munoz won compound mixed team gold at the Bolivarian Games to add to their slew of titles, which includes, of course, the World Archery championships from 2021.

“It feels fantastic,” said Munoz. “There are days that dreams come true and this is one of those days. There was a lot of pressure. I was not feeling good all the competition. But in the mixed team competition, I showed my best shooting yesterday and today. I gave all of me.”

India’s Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Abhishek Verma made history by defeating Mexico, 157-156, in the bronze medal match. It is the first-ever World Games archery medal for the country and came after a match in which the talented duo of Vennam and Verma opened and closed with perfect ends.

“The first medal is always very special,” said Vennam. “We are very happy. It was a tied match and we did not know who would win until the last arrow. We just focused to shoot our best.”

Verma managed to overcome his disappointment of losing his compound men’s bronze medal match, which had ended less than an hour before his compound mixed team bronze match.

He will, after all, end his experience in Alabama with some extra weight in his luggage.

“Finally I have a medal,” he said. “Today was a bad day for me. You could see I was not shooting well, but we did it in the mixed team. I am happy that I will not go home without a medal.”

Competition continues at the World Games with the start of the field archery competition and recurve qualifying on Sunday.