D’Almeida becomes first Brazilian archer to rank world number one

Marcus D’Almeida moved up four places in the recurve men’s list in late February to knock Brady Ellison off the top spot and become the first Brazilian archer in history to hold a world number one ranking.

“I always had this dream of being number one in the world. When I first entered the ranking I told myself that there could be there one day and now that day came,” said the 25-year-old.

“The world ranking doesn’t just mean a good competition, but a good season. It’s very a important result for Brazil.”

The two-time Olympian gained prominence at a young age when he finished second at the Archery World Cup Final and Youth Olympic Games in 2014. Pressure was piled on his shoulders for Rio 2016 – where he was eliminated in the first round.

Marcus’ considerable potential began delivering big results at the end of 2021.

He was runner-up to Kim Woojin – the current world number two – at the Hyundai World Archery Championships in Yankton. This year he then won his first career stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup in Paris last summer.

“I need to keep working hard,” said D’Almeida. “Being first in the ranking just gives me more motivation to train.”

Qualification for the next Olympics in Paris – potentially Marcus’ third – starts later this year at the worlds in Berlin. It’s a great time for the talented Brazilian to be reaching the top of his game.

Brazil has previously had a number one in the para world rankings – Jane Karla Gogel first topped the compound women’s para list in 2018.