Ruiz’s emergence for Mexico makes women’s team world title contender

At only 16 years old, Mexican recurver Angela Ruiz has a stage silver medal on the Hyundai Archery World Cup.

She’s up 176 places in the Sanlida World Archery Ranking compared to one week ago, with her result at stage three of this year’s international circuit in Medellin pushing her to 45th. She’s the latest in a long line of promising young female athletes to come out of the country since its competitive emergence just over a decade ago.

Ruiz's history in the sport is even shorter. She started shooting when she was nine years old in Saltillo. Her older brothers were also archers.

She made her under-18 debut at the 2021 World Archery Youth Championships in Poland. That event didn’t bring outstanding results or medals – but it was a pivotal point in the young archer’s career.

Two years on, she’s a member of the Mexican senior squad for both the Hyundai Archery World Cup and the upcoming Hyundai World Archery Championships in 2023.

“The youth championships is where I realised I do want more of this, I do want to continue in archery,” she says.

Her debut this year already brought something special for Mexico.

Standing side-by-side with Olympic medallists Aida Roman and Alejandra Valencia in the arena at the season opener in Antalya, Ruiz was key in delivering the Mexican recurve women’s team its first-ever international victory.

Two stops of the tour later, last week in Medellin, came her first individual success.

She qualified in just 27th – but improved in every match, dropping world number seven Peng Chia-Mao, teammate Valencia and former Hyundai Archery World Cup Champion Michelle Kroppen during a matchplay run that saw the youngster improve with each arrow.

“The truth is that what I achieved this week was out of my plans, I had been correcting some things, I had been trying to feel comfortable with my shots and I finally did it. I feel fulfilled,” said Ruiz, after leaving the finals arena.

She ultimately finished second to Korea’s Lim Sihyeon, who has won back-to-back stages of the circuit in 2023.

Their match went to the wire – Lim needing a shoot-off to eventually beat Ruiz, who dragged the contest to a tie despite trailing early.

“The match was incredible,” says Ruiz. “I am very satisfied with what I have been doing all week.”

A win in Medellin would have secured Mexico a second spot at this year’s Hyundai Archery World Cup Final, taking place for the second straight year on home soil, this time in the northern city of Hermosillo. (The hometown of Alejandra Valencia.)

Ruiz came so close – but there remain opportunities in 2023.

“We’re going to keep working towards the world championships, and then the Paris stage of the World Cup,” she says. “I think we will do very well in those competitions.”

Roman, Valencia, Mariana Avitia… the three Mexican recurve women who have claimed Olympic archery medals to date.

But it is results from youngsters like Ruiz, new and passionate and pushing the established squad to greater heights, that make this iteration of the country’s team so exciting ahead of the important events on the horizon.

Two-time runners-up to the Korean women for the world title (2017, 2021), could this finally be the year that Mexico takes the top spot?

“I’m going to continue enjoying competitions, keep working on myself, my technique and my mind,” says Ruiz. “And strengthen the key points that will allow me to continue at this level.”

There’s more to come from Mexico this season.