There are now less than 100 days to go to the Paris 2024 Olympics, where archery will award five gold medals for the second consecutive Games.
Mete Gazoz is set to defend his title but An San, who won the women’s event at Tokyo 2020, did not make the Korean team this season, meaning that we are guaranteed to crown a new gold medallist on the Place des Invalides this summer.
Who’s looking strong?
Read on for Vanessa Lee’s preseason picks for the 2024 Olympic Champions in our monthly power ranking in the lead-up to the Games.
Recurve men
- Mete Gazoz, Türkiye
- Marcus D’Almeida, Brazil
- Brady Ellison, USA
“Mete has the impossible task of winning back-to-back and I am fully behind him.”
No archer has ever won consecutive Olympics and only Darrell Pace, in 1976 and 1984, has ever collected two individual gold medals. Mete already wrote his name in the history books with his win at Tokyo 2020 – and then the world championships last year – so another victory in Paris would simply make him a legend.
Recurve women
- Alejandra Valencia, Mexico
- Casey Kaufhold, USA
- Lim Sihyeon, Korea
“Alejandra wins when it matters and I get the feeling there‘s something big waiting for her.”
Mexico’s rise to the top of the archery pile was heralded by Aida Roman and Mariana Avitia’s individual silver and bronze medals at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Valencia followed up with a mixed team bronze in Tokyo and the talented Sonoran is always sniffing around the podium. She’s been second to Kaufhold at two recent majors – the worlds and Pan Am Championships – and is due a win.
