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Alejandra Valencia returns to the solo top podium at Copa Merengue

22 June 2025

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

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Alejandra Valencia being awarded the Copa Merengue.

Alejandra Valencia returned to the top step of an international podium with victory in the recurve women’s event at the Santo Domingo 2025 Copa Merengue.

The last time the two-time Olympic medallist stepped onto the gold medal position was at the Santiago 2023 Pan-American Games - 20 months ago.

The two-time Olympic medallist hadn’t claimed individual gold since her triumph 20 months ago at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. Since then, she’s fallen short in several finals – most notably a straight-sets defeat to Great Britain’s Penny Healey at the season-opening Hyundai Archery World Cup stage in Central Florida.

But in the Dominican Republic, Valencia delivered on her top seed, defeating compatriot Valentina Vazquez 6-2 in the gold medal match.

Vazquez, 22, took the opening set 29-28 in torrential rain, but Valencia adjusted better to the conditions. She won the next three sets with scores of 26, 25 and 29, while Vazquez managed 25, 24 and 25 – two of her arrows landing in the low seven.

“It rained a little and everything got really muddy, but other than that, everything was pretty good,” said Valencia, who also won gold in the mixed team event alongside Carlos Rojas, as well as bronze in the women’s team event with Vazquez and Karime Montoya Alfaro.

“The wind was manageable. The humidity... we knew it would be hot and humid, but we dealt with it.”

With mixed team gold and individual silver already on the board from Florida, Valencia’s 2025 campaign is shaping up impressively, and there’s still six months left in the year. Many archers would gladly settle for that haul.

But there’s something uniquely satisfying about winning a ranking event solo – regardless of the size of the field. And this was the biggest Copa Merengue yet, featuring 45 recurve women and 216 athletes overall.

World number three Valencia was reminded of that feeling at Parque del Este, finally returning to the top of the podium after nearly two years away. Overcoming heavy showers and swirling wind made it even more rewarding – on top of helping her team qualify earlier in the week for the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games.

“More than anything, we came here to get tickets for next year’s Central American Games, to see what the shooting range is like, because this is where the Games are going to be, and to see the Dominican Republic too, because it’s my first time here,” she explained.

Santo Domingo was a return to gold for Valencia. For Mariana Bernal, it was her first taste of it.

World number one Andrea Becerra entered the event as the overwhelming favourite in the compound women’s competition, having just won her second World Cup of the season in Antalya earlier this month. Her 708 in qualification on Thursday only reinforced her status.

But teammate Bernal had other plans.

In another all-Mexican final – and again under heavy rain – Bernal looked the more composed archer, handling the wet conditions with poise and confidence. Even when Becerra, the Berlin 2023 world silver medallist, took the first end 30-29, Bernal didn’t waver.

Twelve 10s (including eight Xs) secured Bernal a convincing 147-142 victory and her maiden individual gold medal on the world stage.

In the compound men’s final, Puerto Rico’s Jean Pizarro Latorre clinched his second gold of the week, having already won the qualification tournament for next year’s Central American and Caribbean Games—also to be held in Santo Domingo.

Meanwhile, Colombia’s Jorge Enriquez edged Cuba’s Olympian Hugo Franco in a shoot-off to win recurve men’s gold.