Thunderstorm halts compound qualifying as Fullerton, Lopez take top seeds

Every Hyundai Archery World Cup tends to produce its own drama, but few expected Madrid 2026 – stage four of the season – to begin in such unusual circumstances.

As Europe endures a heatwave, temperatures are expected to climb into the high 30s°C this week in Spain, and those forecasts were realised during official practice at Vallehermoso Stadium as the sun beat down.

In fact, conditions were so hot that a couple of recurve archers suffered broken limbs after the heat affected their equipment, prompting recurvers to rush their bows into the shade.

Compound qualifying began at 16h00 local time and, after 36 arrows, the usual halfway break followed.

However, as dark clouds gathered overhead, competition was initially delayed by 10 minutes due to a thunderstorm warning.

As the heavens opened, though, it quickly became clear the delay would last much longer.

The change in conditions was dramatic. Moments earlier the sun had been shining over Madrid, before strong winds, torrential rain, thunder and lightning swept across the venue.

Compound archers were instructed to move into the stands with their equipment as the storm intensified, leaving athletes, coaches, volunteers and spectators stunned.

After more than an hour with no improvement in the weather, it was decided that the final compound qualification rankings would be based on the opening 36 arrows – the first time in Hyundai Archery World Cup history that qualification has been shortened in this way.

That left Mathias Fullerton on top of the 83-strong compound men’s field with 358 points, giving the Dane the number one seed for Friday’s individual eliminations.

It is the world number one’s first top seed at a Hyundai Archery World Cup this season and his second in an international 50-metre competition in 2026, following the European Outdoor Championships.

“Never, ever,” said the 2023 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final Champion as he and the rest of the athletes made their way back to the buses. “I even asked Martin Damsbo, my teammate, because he’s shot at all the World Cups, and he said it’s never, ever happened, so I guess it’s a first.”

“I laughed and said it might be the lowest winning qualification score ever. It’s kind of funny. I felt like I shot really well in the first 36 arrows, so that was nice.”

“It was a little bit tricky with the wind and, of course, the extreme heat. I managed it pretty well, and so did Damsbo, my teammate. I think we handled it pretty well, and Tanja [Gellenthien] did too, so that was awesome to see.”

“It was the right decision. There was lightning, so we wanted to stay safe, of course. Safety first.”

Colombia’s Sara Lopez – bidding for a record 10th Hyundai Archery World Cup Final title in Saltillo this September – topped the compound women’s qualification with 353, little more than a week after winning silver at the Tlaxcala 2026 Pan American Championships.

“This is the first time in my whole life that this has happened,” said Lopez, whose 353 secured her first top qualification at an international event since the Iguazu 2024 World Ranking Event. “But I don’t want to be like, ‘Oh, it doesn’t count.’ No... it counts.”

“I was so ready to continue the competition. It was really weird because we were just scoring and then we heard this weird noise, almost like a truck coming, and it was shocking because I was here for a week and we had the most perfect days the whole week, and then rain.”

With competition ending early, the compound 1/48 eliminations have been rescheduled for Wednesday morning before the compound team eliminations and recurve qualification later in the day.

Top seeds: Madrid 2026

Full results on the event page.

Compound men

1. Mathias Fullerton, Denmark – 358 (18 Xs)
2. Nicolas Girard, France – 358 (13 Xs)
3. Sahil Rajesh Jadhav, India – 356

Compound women

1. Sara Lopez, Colombia – 353
2. Tanja Gellenthien, Denmark – 351
3. Paula Diaz Morillas, Spain – 350