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Mike Schloesser shakes off scare to scoop fourth World Cup

15 October 2022

Tlaxcala, Mexico

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Mike Schloesser took a rollercoaster ride to his fourth Hyundai Archery World Cup title in Tlaxcala, Mexico.

The Dutchman survived an almighty semifinal scare before edging out Nicolas Girard with a perfect score in a classic final.

It’s never dull when ‘Mister Perfect’ is on the range and Schloesser nearly failed to get the deciding arrow out altogether in his semifinal.

“I still have tears in my eyes. After that semifinal, I came and just wanted to be myself and do my thing,” Mike said.

“I tried to keep my nerves to myself and I wasn’t paying much attention to what Nicolas was doing. I’m really proud of that last arrow because I was struggling today.”

Two of four quarterfinals were decided by a shoot-off in what is arguably the most open discipline of the four shows in Mexico, with Schloesser needing an extra arrow to see off James Lutz.

With only eight required with the final arrow to beat home hope Miguel Becerra and reach the final, Schloesser’s thumb slipped and he had only three seconds to find the nine.

The 28-year-old has seen it all in the sport, but Frenchman Girard is in the midst of a breakout, announcing himself with victory at the Paris World Cup.

The level of their gold medal contest was staggering. Both nailed tens with their first 11 attempts and recorded nine 10X between them.

The tension became unbearable in the fourth end, when Schloesser shaved the nine-line with his final attempt and Girard became the first to drop a point.

Those centimetres would prove the difference, with both shooting 30 in the final end, and Schloesser taking a white-knuckle triumph with a perfect score but by just one point.

“This is the end of a nice season. I had a really good season this year and this is the cherry on top. I’m really happy about it,” Mister Perfect concluded.

There was a fairytale bronze for Puerto Rican pioneer Jean Pizarro, his first-ever individual senior medal.

Pizarro, who is self-coached, landed the first perfect score of 150 of the event to deny Becerra (146 points) a podium place in front of his home crowd.

Competition at the 2022 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final continues Sunday in Tlaxcala, Mexico, with the recurve events.