Mexico seed first in all five compound qualifying fields in Central Florida
Andrea Becerra and Sebastian Garcia seeded first in the compound individual qualifications whilst Mexico also topped all three team qualifying fields at the first stage of the 2025 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Central Florida on Tuesday.
Amidst windy conditions, 2023 World Archery Championships silver medallist Becerra was the only woman to surpass 700 with a score of 701, dropping 24 of her 72 arrows in the 10X-ring in the process.
“It was quite difficult but manageable, way better than yesterday afternoon,” said the 24-year-old. “It was a lot but still a great start to the season.”
“I think just in my head,” she added on any changes she made to deal with the wind. “To be sure that maybe we’re not going to shoot our usual scores and try to make the best of the situation.”
The result in Auburndale, USA is a similar beginning for Becerra at the start of this 2025 World Cup season.
In last year’s opening stage in Shanghai, she poled with 713 and did so again in Antalya, which will host the circuit again in June, dropping 706 and praised the system of the Mexican archery trials to best prepare athletes for 72-arrow rounds.
“I have the privilege at home to be shooting 50 metres almost all year round so were ready for this. We had a lot of stages in trials, so this was quite ok,” added Becerra who beat world number one Ella Gibson, 698, and reigning Hyundai Archery World Cup Final Champion Sara Lopez, 695, across the 72 arrows.
The Mexican will be hoping however to do one better than the 2024 stages, where she agonisingly lost the individual gold medal match on two occasions in Shanghai and Yecheon.
It was an even bigger qualification day for her fellow compatriot Sebastian Garcia, who hit 709, superseding the likes of world number one Mike Schloesser and World Cup Final silver medallist Mathias Fullerton both of whom with 707.
The 2024 Pan American Champion, who has failed to get past the second round in the nine stages he has competed in, will have a golden opportunity to mend that unsavourable record, as he will automatically go through to the second round as a bye.
“I’m really happy about it, usually when it’s windy I shoot really bad but right now with all the wind and everything I was shooting really good, feeling really good, and I felt really good about that,” a beaming Garcia said after the final end. “I only input one ounce of weight in my front stabiliser because I was moving a little but in my last practise end I did it and it worked out well today.”
Becerra and Garcia are also the top seeds heading into the compound mixed team for Mexico, and both will also head the field as part of their respective team events, Becerra with Mariana Bernal and Dafne Quintero in the women’s, and Rodrigo Gonzalez and Luis Lezama teaming up with Garcia in the men’s.
There was no top 64 cut in Florida for eliminations with 43 athletes in the compound men and 31 in the compound women categories.
Action at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex will continue tomorrow, starting with the compound team elimination rounds in the morning followed by recurve qualifications in the afternoon.
Top seeds: Central Florida 2025
Full results on the event page.
Compound men:
- Sebastian Garcia, Mexico – 709 (28 Xs)
- Mathias Fullerton, Denmark – 707 (29 Xs)
- Mike Schloesser, Netherlands – 707 (28 Xs)
Nine archers shot 700+.
Compound women:
- Andrea Becerra, Mexico – 701 (24 Xs)
- Ella Gibson, Great Britain – 698 (23 Xs)
- Sara Lopez, Colombia – 695 (18 Xs)
