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Arcila wins Olympic quota for host Colombia at Pan Am qualifier

10 April 2024

Medellin, Colombia

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Santiago Arcila after winning the Pan Am Olympic qualifier.

Colombia and the US Virgin Islands secured recurve men’s quota places to Paris 2024 during this afternoon’s Pan American individual Olympic qualifier in Medellin after Canada and Puerto Rico won recurve women’s tickets in the morning.

The host country had three shots at the spot, with Andrés Hernandez, Jorge Enriquez and Santiago Arcila all making the last eight.

But after Hernandez lost to top seed Nicholas D'Amour (7-1) and Enriquez fell to Mario Jajarabilla (6-2), both in the quarterfinals, Colombian hopes for a men’s quota fell to second-seed Arcila, the 2021 Pan American Champion.

Arcila rose to the challenge. He beat Cuba’s Javier Vega and then Oscar Ticas in the semis, confirming the quota, before shooting four 28-point sets to take gold ahead of D’Amour, 6-2.

“I think this happened just the way it was supposed to,” said the 24-year-old from Medellin. “I‘ve been working really hard for this, personally and with my team. Achieving this here at home, surrounded by all the people who care about me… it means a lot.”

D’Amour’s semifinal win – and silver medal – earned him the quota.

The US Virgin Islands’ Nicholas D’Amour was top seed in the qualifier.

He hugged his father, his coach, waiting for his opponent’s arrow during the tiebreak.

D’Amour becomes the first archer from the US Virgin Islands to qualify for the Olympics.

Arcila would win gold for Colombia but both archers qualified Olympic quotas.

Paris is set to be D’Amour’s second Olympics after he received a universality ticket to Tokyo 2020.

He was a little lucky. Argentina’s Jajarabilla looked strong but shot a six in the fourth set in gusty conditions, only forcing a tiebreak with a perfect 30 to close. But Nicholas’ shoot-off arrow was excellent. He put his head on the shoulder of his coach, his dad, as he waited for his opponent to post his challenge.

Jajabilla could only find the nine.

“I wasn’t here for the Olympic quota,” D’Amour claimed afterwards. The cheer and emotion when it was won said differently. “But I’m very happy.”

He becomes the first archer from the US Virgin Islands to ever qualify for the Olympics having received a universality ticket to the Tokyo 2020.

The women’s quota places were won by Kristine Esebua (Canada) and Alondra Rivera (Puerto Rico).

Six further quota places to Paris will be awarded this week in Medellin, to the recurve women’s and men’s team winners at the Pan American Championships. This could cause some individual quotas – won here, the Pan Am Games or the last world championships – to be reassigned.

Coverage from Medellin is available to watch worldwide with a subscription to archery+.