Madrid 2025: Five archers to watch at the final stage of the World Cup

Madrid is the fourth and final stop of the 2025 Hyundai Archery World Cup where 336 archers from around the world are set to shoot for the last few tickets to the circuit’s grand finale held in October in China.

As we also draw closer to the Hyundai World Archery Championships in Korea, the Spanish capital is host to the largest contingent of athletes this year on archery’s premier international circuit as 49 countries have sent their squads in preparation for Gwangju.

Among those present are are reigning World Cup champions James Lutz (compound men), Kim Woojin (recurve men) and Li Jiaman (recurve women), while the compound women’s 2024 circuit winner Sara Lopez is absent.

These names are worth watching but scroll on for another five names that you should keep your eyes on throughout next week.

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1. Chen Chieh-Lun

Who? The Florida 2025 individual bronze and mixed team silver medallist from Chinese Taipei.

Why? Chen Chieh-Lun may not be the most talked about compound men’s archer at the moment, but he’s been quietly going about his business the past six months.

After over a year out from international archery, Chen returned to the scene winning silver at the indoor Taipei Archery Open in December, beating 2017 Asia champion Abhishek Verma before a narrow loss to world number one Mike Schloesser in the final. Florida was his first outdoors tournament since the Bangkok 2023 Asian Championships and again he podiumed with a bronze.

The Chinese Taipei athlete arrives in Spain off the back of an invite-only elite training camp in Korea such has his respect grown in archery circles over the last few months. Can he make the most of his career-best form and book himself to Nanjing?

Florida was the first World Cup Chen medalled in individually.

2. Paige Pearce

Who? The current World Archery Field Champion from USA. 

Why? She’s back. After three years away from outdoors target archery – successfully prioritising field and indoors – Paige Pearce is ready to shoot at her first World Cup in the compound women’s discipline since the Yankton 2021 Final. The two-time Vegas Shoot gold medallist also tried to make the USA team for Gwangju but failed to pip Olivia Dean, Sydney Sullenberger and Alexis Ruiz for a spot.

The small little matter of compound mixed team added to the LA28 Games may have a thing or two to do with her decision to come back. She’ll be hoping for a triumphant return to the outdoor target world stage following a long spell out. 

Paige’s last appearance outdoors was the Santiago 2022 Pan American Championships, which she won. 

3. Jonathan Vetter

Who? The 2021 World Archery Youth Championships bronze medallist from Germany.

Why? Florian Unruh flew the German recurve men’s flag by himself at Paris 2024 and is still without doubt the country’s top archer in the discipline. His gold at Central Florida 2025 backs this up.

However, Jonathan Vetter was ever so close to joining his compatriot at Nanjing as another stage winner in Antalya last month, reaching his first final four as a senior. He lost both matches in straight sets (6-0) to eventual gold medallist Marcus D’Almeida and then 7-1 to Baptiste Addis in the bronze medal match.

Visibly upset after coming off the stage in Türkiye, Vetter will be burning to make up for it in Madrid.

Vetter and Germany lost to Chinese Taipei and Great Britain in the Final Olympic Qualifier last year to miss out on a three-athlete men’s quota for Paris. 

4. Alejandra Valencia

Who? The face of Mexico’s recurve archery team.

Why? It’s been 15 years since Alejandra Valencia first represented Mexico – at the 2010 Arizona Cup – as a senior. Different teammates have come in and out, but Valencia’s quality and persistence has firmly stayed making her the standard bearer and figurehead of the current crop of Mexican archers, many of which are far younger than the 2023 Pan American Games Champion.

At 30 though she most definitely still has the X-factor, proven most recently at the Copa Merengue couple of weeks ago where she took gold, her first top podium since Santiago. Valencia could be hitting her season-best form just at the right time for Madrid where she’ll be looking to confirm her ninth Archery World Cup Final.

Valencia has an astounding 71% win ratio from 232 matches across her career.

5. Mariana Bernal

Who? The new Copa Merengue winner from Mexico.

Why? Like Valencia, another Mexican that emerged victorious in Santo Domingo a couple of weeks ago was Mariana Bernal in the compound women’s event. Only for Bernal it was the first time she ended up with gold around her neck. What made it even more impressive was that it was against world number one Andrea Becerra – also of Mexico – in torrential rain in the Dominican Republic.

The 22-year-old athlete has been involved in two of the three World Cup final fours so far – bronze in Central Florida and fourth in Antalya – can she make it three out of four but this time grab the gold?

Bernal is confirmed in the Mexican squad for the Chengdu 2025 World Games.