It’s been over six months since Aida Roman, Brady Ellison, Sara Lopez and Bridger Deaton won World Cup Champion trophies at Lausanne 2014, last year’s final.
It’s a new year, new season – and a new competition in 2015.
Past wins mean nothing: ranking points are set at zero across the board and the season opener is the only opportunity to start fast in the race to this year’s Archery World Cup Final.
Five facts: Shanghai 2015
1) Bhutan – the Himalayan nation in which archery is the national sport – has sent a four-man team to Shanghai for the first time. One athlete is shooting a pretty special bow (more on this later in the week).
2) China is investing lots in football at the moment. The qualification venue in Shanghai is the home ground of football club Shen Xin – who compete in the Chinese premier league!
(They’re currently last in the league – but maybe some shooting practice, albeit of a different kind, in their stadium will help.)
3) Pierre Plihon won silver at his first international event, Shanghai 2014. He’s not on the French recurve team this year – but there’ll be another first-timer who springboards from Shanghai into the spotlight.
4) Mr Perfect, Mike Schloesser, has never been knocked out before the third round at an Archery World Cup stage he’s attended. He’s part of a large Dutch contingent in China.
5) The finals field in Shanghai is a well-known backdrop for archery, next to the Pudong area of the river and busy financial district. Except this year, the range will be inverted. Archers will shoot from the former target line.
Check out the competitor list.
Four familiar stages
It’s the third – and last year – in a row we’ll have the same four cities hosting the quartet of Archery World Cup stages: Shanghai, Antalya, Wroclaw and Medellin.
(In 2016, Wroclaw will drop off the calendar as the circuit is condensed for the Olympics.)
Each iconic locale brings its own challenges, traditions and history. In year three, there are no excuses for teams who now know the conditions of the circuit extremely well.
Shanghai: Pushed back later in the year, it’s possible the traditional Shanghai rain won’t make an appearance for this year’s finals. Then again, the long-range forecast has a 60% chance of thunderstorms.
Badly prepared archers perform badly in these kinds of conditions.
Antalya: Hot and beautiful. The 2015 competition will be the best marker for teams ahead of this summer’s worlds in Copenhagen.
Wroclaw: India’s recurve women’s team has won two out of two golds, in 2013 and 2014. A perfect three on the horizon?
Medellin: Popular among athletes and extremely useful South American climate training ahead of the Rio Games.
The big finish to this year’s circuit: The 10th Archery World Cup Final in the centre of Mexico City!
Three comebacks
Georgia: Surprise silver medallists at the Turin 2011 worlds, the recurve women’s team is arguably the nation’s best chance at Olympic spots. The full trio is in Shanghai to launch that campaign.
Colombia: Alejandra Usquiano. Lost her World Cup Champion title to teammate Sara Lopez in Lausanne last year. The back-and-forth tussle between the Colombian pair is fun to watch.
France: Romain Girouille and Berengere Schuh. Berengere shot internationally last year, but has not yet bounced back to the form she had pre-injury.
Romain’s last world-level international was… London 2012. Shanghai, the start of his #RoadtoRio?
Two team storylines
The Chinese recurve men’s team shocked Korea at the latter’s home Asian Games in Incheon at the end of last year. World silver medallist Dai Xiaoxiang is out of team China in Shanghai – but World Champion Lee Seungyun is not.
Repeat or revenge?
Without Erika Jones – she’s having a baby soon – and other experienced women, the USA’s compound team will have to go some to start with the same unbeaten streak it had last year.
It will be up to now-senior team member Crystal Gauvin to anchor a four-woman group that includes two international rookies.
One bold prediction
The Philippines’ Paul de la Cruz – who won compound men’s bronze at the Asian Games in Incheon last year – hits the podium in Shanghai, too.
Follow live coverage of Shanghai 2015 on World Archery’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and WorldArchery.org. Tune in for #RecurveSunday, live and online on Archery TV.
