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Daza Guzman recovers from shaky start to win gold in Chicago

31 août 2025

Chicago, USA

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MarÍa Monica Daza Guzman shooting at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Despite a poor start, MarÍa Monica Daza Guzman battled back to win recurve women’s gold at the second leg of the 2025 Americas Para Archery Cup in Chicago.

Chicago was the Colombian’s first competition since the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and marks her third senior international individual gold, following victories at the Santiago 2022 and São Paulo Para Pan American Championships.

“I thought about my family, my country, the people I love, my angels that I have in heaven,” she told archery+ after the match. “I have enough strength to overcome these matches.”

Daza Guzman’s campaign in Paris last year ended disappointingly in the first round – and this final against the USA’s Karen Sternfeld also began shakily. She opened at the Dunbar Sports Park complex with a far-right three, five and nine, for a total of 17 points.

Hardly the start any archer would want in a final – and even lower than her opener in the semifinal shoot-off win over Candice Caesar, where she began with 18.

But just like that match, it turned out to be more of a blip than anything else.

Her second end improved to 21 but still wasn’t enough to overtake Sternfeld, who shot 24. The American was aiming for her second circuit in 2025 gold after winning the mixed team in Morelia with Jordan White.

The 52-year-old, with the top podium in sight, however faltered at 4-0 up as it was her turn to shoot high and wide.

Ironically, the sight seemed to cause Sternfeld the most problems. Following her third-end score of 16 – while Guzman posted 20 – the American adjusted it frequently between arrows, but to her detriment, as she then dropped to 19 and finally a lowly 14.

Karen Sternfeld at the first stage of the 2025 Americas Para Cup in Morelia.

Sternfeld’s performance in a matter of minutes had declined whilst Guzman’s credentials as a Paralympian came to the fore, getting the match high end score of 26 and a 24 in the final set that included Xs in each - the only arrows to find the spider.

Sternfeld’s performance declined in just a few minutes, while Daza Guzman’s Paralympic experience came to the fore.

The Colombian shot the match-high end of 26 and followed it with 24, both including a 10 – the only two arrows to find the X-ring, the central zone within the 10-ring used to break ties in qualification and when certain world records reach their maximum points score.

It was a moment of anguish for Sternfeld, though she leaves Chicago with the pride of her first career individual podium.

The win for world number nine Daza Guzman – supported by recurve men’s silver medallist Héctor Julio Ramirez in the coaching box – is a strong return to the international circuit and a reminder that she could be the Americas’ leading contender in recurve women heading into the Gwangju 2025 World Archery Para Championship.

You can rewatch the finals from Chicago with a subscription to archery+.