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Jaatma wins Nimes for the third time in four years

22 January 2023

Nimes, France

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Lisell Jaatma shoots during finals at the Sud de France Tournament in 2023.

Estonian compounder Lisell Jaatma beat Andrea Munoz to win the Sud de France Archery Tournament for the third time since 2020, as Kris Schaff, Tatiana Andreoli and Thomas Chirault completed the winning roster.

“I’m really happy,” said Lisell. “I just focused on myself and did my best and it paid off.”

Jaatma’s breakout win came at this event three years ago and she repeated in 2021.

Having qualified just 11th with a 585-point round earlier this weekend, Lisell upset second seed Tanja Gellenthien in the semifinals to set up a final against Munoz, who had beaten top seed Paige Pearce and world number one Ella Gibson in matchplay.

Jaatma delivered an assured performance in the arena, building throughout the match to beat Munoz, 147-143.

Lisell’s brother Robin took third place in the compound men’s event.

The win went to Kris Schaff, a former Indoor Archery World Series Champion, after he defeated world number six Mathias Fullerton, 147-145.

It’s Schaff‘s first victory at an international competition since 2019.

“Feels good to win this one again,” he said in the post-match television interview.

Tatiana Andreoli was the most impressive recurve archer to enter the arena on Sunday afternoon. She shot four perfect sets to dismantle Katharina Bauer in the recurve women’s final.

“I entered in the arena and I just wanted to focus on myself,” said Andreoli. “Last year, I lost the semifinal. It was bitter. So it’s good to finish with a gold.”

Bauer had upset top seed and reigning Indoor Archery World Series Champion Penny Healey in a semifinal shoot-off. Healey took bronze.

The last match of this year’s stop in Nimes was a thriller.

French teammates Thomas Chirault and Baptiste Addis, who shoots for the host club of the event, traded sets of 30 and 29 points until a final perfect from Chirault ended regulation in a tie.

(Addis dropped a nine with his last arrow when a 10 would have sealed it.)

Both archers delivered maximums in the shoot-off – both good 10s, only slightly high and about a centimetre from dead-centre – but Chirault’s was measured closer to the middle.

The result brings a second podium on the season for the 25-year-old after a bronze at the GT Open.

“Incredible atmosphere,” said Chirault. “The end was emotional. An incredible match.”

Nearly 1050 archers from 43 countries competed at the Sud de France Archery Tournament in 2023.