Inspiration and perspiration: challengers make top seeds sweat

Recurve Junior
The recurve junior men’s event saw all four favourites knocked out before the semi-finals. KIM Joo Wan (n°2) - cadet world champion in 2009 - was eliminated in the first round of the day, and SUK Jun Hee (n°3) in the second. The lone Korean left in quarter-finals, 16-year-old YEO Daeho (n°4) - who is competing internationally for the first time - fell to Vitaliy KOMONYUK. The Ukrainian archer had already beaten experienced Sjef VAN DEN BERG (NED) - world team silver medallist last week in Belek - in the 1/16 round.

Gaël PREVOST - World Cup Final bronze medallist in 2012 and world team bronze medallist in Belek – fell victim to n°8 Robin RAMAEKERS (main photo) in the quarter-finals. The Belgian archer took the initial set, and even though PREVOST took back the lead at 5-3, RAMAEKERS levelled the match then won the shoot-off, 10-9. In the semi-final, the Belgian archer - who will turn 19 next week - left KOMONYUK no chance, beating him in straight sets.

The other semi-final was a tight match between surprise n°22 Galsan BAZARZHAPOV (RUS) and n°39 Kacper SIERAKOWSKI (POL). After a tie at 3-3, the Polish archer won the fourth set (29-26), and forced a draw in the last for 6-4 win. KAMAEKERS and SIERAKOWSKI will contest gold, and KOMONYUK and BAZARZHAPOV will dispute the bronze medal.

Meanwhile the three Korean junior women were near-perfect in their first international tournament. Following the 1-2-3 clean sweep in qualifications, SIM Yeji, JEON Sungeun and LIM Heeseon all made it through to the semi-finals. Begünhan Elif UNSAL (TUR) - bronze medallist at the 2010 European Championships - was the lone non-Korean archer that joined them. She could not gain a foothold in the semi-final against SIM, who won the match in straight sets. SIM will face JEON, who beat teammate LIM 9-8 in a one-arrow shoot-off in the second semi-final.

Olympic bronze medallist Mariana AVITIA (MEX) and individual World Cup gold medallist Kristina TIMOFEEVA (RUS) head home without individual medals.

Compound Junior
As multiple men tied the world-record-level 149 score, the clear winners in qualification struggled: no USA archer will take a shot at an individual medal. Instead, Rajat CHAUHAN (IND) - who defeated n°1-ranked Alex WILFER (USA) - and new senior team world champion Stephan HANSEN (DEN) will fight for gold.

Belgium’s Baptiste SCARCERIAUX, who threw out current senior individual world champion Mike SCHLOESSER (NED) in a shoot-off in the 1/8 round, will feature in a second bronze medal match. (He is part of Belgium's bronze-match qualifying mixed team pair.) Standing in his way: another Indian, n°7 seed Jignas CHITTIBOMMA.

As for the women, world n°3 and 15-arrow match senior world record holder, Colombia’s Sara LOPEZ was hot favourite to make a run at gold - and after a shaky start, she improved her scores round after round: 139, 144, 146 and then 147. The 18-year-old beat a tough opponent in her semi-final, top American Kailey JOHNSTON - who got a team gold at the 2011 Antalya World Cup, and was cadet world champion in 2008.

Second-seeded Janine MEISSNER (photo) dominated the other side of the brackets, posting 148 points twice. In her semi-final, the 19-year-old German archer barely defeated 2009 cadet world champion Paige PEARCE (USA) - 143-142 - to win a shot at gold against LOPEZ. United States teammates JOHNSTON and PEARCE will fight for bronze.

Recurve Cadet
N°4 after qualifications - but top scorer over the longer distances – Brit Patrick HUSTON (photo) steamrolled through all his matches today, to earn a shot at gold. N°6 Arsalan BALDANOV (RUS) faced n°10 Sanzhar MUSSAYEV (KAZ) for the opportunity to shoot against the Brit. The pair were tied after three sets - despite the Kazakhstani archer starting with a perfect 30 - but MUSSAYEV managed to win the last two, and the match 7-3. BALDANOV will contest bronze against third-seed Luis Esteban INFANTE (MEX), vanquisher of top-qualifier from hosts China, XU Zhiwei, in the quarter-finals.

Asian domination continued in the recurve cadet women’s competition. Korea had two archers in the last four, shooting against each other: JEONG Yuri and LEE Hyeson. JEONG, the top qualifier, won.

Beside them on the line, surprise-Guatemalan Regina María ROMERO - the n°58 seed - and third-ranked WU Jiaxin (CHN) - who made her World Cup debut this year. The Chinese archer took a 6-2 win, and will challenge JEONG for gold. In the bronze medal match against LEE, ROMERO has the opportunity to win Central America its only medal of the tournament.

Compound Cadet
Croatian Domagoj BUDEN (photo) - 16-year-old brother of Belek senior world silver-medallist Ivana - won all his matches by at least three points, cementing his top-qualification status. In the final, he will face Renaud DOMANSKI (BEL) - runner-up two years ago and world junior field champion. The Belgian archer survived a shoot-off in the quarter-finals before posting 148 points in his semi-final against Mario VAVRO (CRO). In the bronze medal match against n°5 Isak CARLSSON (SWE), VAVRO has the opportunity to make it two medals for Croatia in this category.

The women’s final will feature top qualifier Alexandra SAVENKOVA (RUS), who scored a shoot-off victory in the quarter-finals against Fatimah ALMASHHADANI (IRQ), before tying the world record of 147 in a semi-final against Danielle REYNOLDS n°5 (USA).

On the other side of the brackets, Maja ORLIC - fourth at the recent senior World Archery Championships - was nearly flawless until the semi-finals. The 16-year-old Croatian archer led n°3 Sonia TANIGUCHI (USA) until the final end, when an 8 ended her hopes for gold. 17-year-olds TANIGUCHI and SAVENKOVA - both at their first international event - will shoot for gold, while ORLIC and REYNOLDS fight for bronze. Returning gold medallist Emily FISCHER didn’t make it past the last 16.

Follow this afternoon’s team elimination matches.

World Archery Communication