Sara and Isaac LOPEZ: aggressive and elegant!

If we needed to introduce Sara LOPEZ, we would start with her double gold-medal performance – individual and team - at the Antalya World Cup this year, in her first international competition outside of the Americas. And then continue with the rest of her fantastic 2013 season, including team silver at the Medellin World Cup and individual bronze at the World Games in Cali.

Excellent results at World Cup stages saw Sara qualify for the World Cup Final in Paris, where she finished 5th. And, at her most recent performance in Turkey, she became senior world champion in the team event.

She is the favourite to become a junior world champion this week in China, as well. Meanwhile, her brother Isaac is competing internationally for the first time, in the cadet recurve competition.

Sara, after your excellent senior season, how do you make the transition to the junior world championships?
For me it is the same. I see it as part of my job, and not as a more relaxed event. I used to think it would be easier to come here and win - but it's not. What I have to do in a senior competition remains the same in a junior competition. I have very high expectations and I think this event can be very good for me. It's interesting to transition back to my true, junior category after shooting as a senior all season. What is a bit different, perhaps, is that I come to Wuxi a bit more relaxed because I am not shooting against the same archers I faced this year. I do not know any of these opponents, so I don't know how good they are. But I hope to achieve some good results.

Isaac, what did you think of your sister's results this year?
I was not really surprised. I know that my sister has always shot very well, and when I saw her winning medals in Antalya, Medellin and Poland - and all the other events - I felt very proud of her. She is my sister, and I have spent all my life next to her. Her results show some of the things we can all achieve. Sara and I have always trained together - and I believe that I can achieve something if I train hard.

This year, your sister quickly came from nowhere to being one of the best archers in the world. Did you take archery seriously before or after her success?
We started archery at the same time, with a friend of ours. Sara and I always arrived at the field together, and practised together. Recurve was more appealing to me, while she went for compound - so we complement each other.

Do you plan to follow Sara’s choice of compound later on?
I chose recurve, and I am not thinking about changing. Being here is a great achievement for me - so I will continue working, and hopefully win medals with this bow in the future. It would be fantastic to win in recurve competition after Sara did it in compound. I have always found recurve more traditional and more appealing - and I wanted to beat a friend of mine who shot recurve… He laughs.

What about you Sara, why did you chose compound?
As Isaac said, we got into archery because a friend of ours was shooting recurve. When we arrived at the field, Isaac shot first with a recurve bow. At that time, there was only one girl at the field, and she shot a compound. When I saw her shoot, I found it much more beautiful than the recurve. Recurve bows might be more traditional, and more elegant - but I found compound aggressive... like my personality! The compound style is more powerful, while recurve is technique. When I first shot a compound, I could feel its strength immediately; recurves are softer. At the end, each bow has its own particularities and difficulties, but I identify more with compound - and I prefer it!

So we have found your nicknames: aggressive and elegant!
They agree and laugh…

Isaac, would you like the opportunity to travel and compete as Sara did this year?
Of course! It is my dream to achieve what she did. Follow my own journey, the right paths, continue with my training and become a full-time member of the national team. I am currently part of the cadet team, but I would like to be part of the senior team: participate in World Cups and travel, because I love this sport.

Sara, how does your family live with your career as an athlete?
This year was a bit unexpected, but not really a surprise. Our family has always supported us, and always done the most they can to help us reach our objectives in sport. We always watched the Colombian national team go to World Cups and thought it was what we wanted for ourselves. So when I reached that level, it was an accomplishment for the whole family - and they were all very proud. When I started winning, we realised that those years' work was paying off, my parents' sacrifices to buy bows and the time spent on archery was worth it. My father is president of our region's archery league, which shows the heavy involvement of our family in the sport as well, so it is fantastic for us all to have Isaac and myself compete together at a youth world championships. In the end, the education we received was worth it - and we are here thanks to it.

What do you study Isaac? Do you have other projects, in case you do not reach such a high level in archery?
I am currently in my final period at college. I will graduate next year, and go to university to study what Sara is studying: medicine. But… he thinks and breathes… I haven't thought about the possibility of not achieving what I want to in archery.

This event is the end of a long season for you, Sara. Do you regret anything, after experiencing the life of an international archer - or do you want to carry on for years to come?
This year was something I have always dreamt of: taking part in the World Cup, winning over all these great athletes and reaching goals. Nevertheless, my main goal is not to be the best archer in the world - but to make sure people know who Sara LOPEZ is and what I have achieved, so people remember me. This year was complicated, because I had to deal with my university work during the archery season, which resulted in me leaving some of the work. I do no regret giving archery priority, because I am living my dreams. I knew that I would have to make the choice one day - but I admit, I did not think it would come so fast. I hope to attend competitions and keep on top of my university studies next year, as I could not choose between the two things. I will continue doing both, hopefully for a long time to come.

This year, you were the newcomer who won important titles and finished the season ranked third in the world. Next year, everybody will see you as the favourite at tournaments. How will you cope?
I always wanted my name to be among the favourites. I want to hear people say that I can reach the final and win, and not that I am someone who won by chance or as a surprise. I hope that my success will continue into next year. I know it is difficult to cope with people's expectations, but I sincerely believe I can do it. As I said, it was complicated with my studies this year, and next year will probably be even more complicated - but I will continue to work hard, and hopefully win the great World Cup Final one day!

If either of you win a medal here, in Wuxi, what would you do?
Both laugh and think… We would give each other a big hug!

World Archery Communication