Gold for Italy, Korea and Venezuela!

  Romain GIROUILLE (FRA)   Recurve Men
Semifinals Romain GIROUILLE (FRA) vs Simon TERRY (GBR) The winner of Stage 1 in Santo Domingo, Romain GIROUILLE (FRA), will meet the winner of Stage 3 in Antalya, Simon TERRY (GBR). This is a clash between youth, talent and experience. One of the most talented archers on earth, GIROUILLE was the 2006 Youth world champion. He has won two World Cup stages since then, participated in the Lausanne Final last year and recently clinched the team silver medal at the 2009 World Championships in Ulsan. Simon TERRY was a double medallist at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games! He won team silver at the 2007 World Championships and prevailed in his only previous encounter against GIROUILLE in the 2008 World Cup stage in Boe.
In this semifinal, TERRY started with a perfect 10 followed by a 9 and a 10 to take an early lead over GIROUILLE, who scored 8-9-9. TERRY led by 3 points, 29-26.
Both archers started the second end with 9-9. Some wind came in for the last arrow of this end. GIROUILLE shot with only two seconds left and it was an 8 liner. TERRY scored a 9 to increase his lead to 4 points, 56-52.
The young French archer came back in the third end, scoring 9-10-10 to trail 81-83 before the last three arrows.
GIROUILLE concluded with 9-9-9, not enough to beat TERRY who shot 10-9-10 for 112-108 and the victory. The Briton qualified for the final!
Jayanta TALUKDAR (IND) vs Marco GALIAZZO (ITA) These two know each other well as they have already met three times. The matches, in 2006, 2007 and 2008 always took place at the Porec World Cup stage with TALUKDAR winning every time. He was actually the first winner of a World Cup stage in 2006. On the opposite end, GALIAZZO was the 2004 Olympic champion!
TALUKDAR opened with a weak 8-8-7, on the right side of the target. With 9-8-10, GALIAZZO took an early 4-point lead, 27-23. The Italian archer increased his lead to 7 points in the second end, 56-49.
TALUKDAR finally managed to score his first 10 of the match on his 7th arrow, but it was not enough to make up for his previous mistakes. The Indian trailed 76-85, to lose the match 103-111. After four matches GALIAZZO finally defeated TALUKDAR to qualify to shoot for the gold final against Simon TERRY!  
   Marco GALIAZZO (ITA)
Bronze Medal: Romain GIROUILLE (FRA) vs Jayanta TALUKDAR (IND) In this match, GIROUILLE will try to defend his bronze medal from last year! The two archers have met just once before, at the 2008 World Cup event in Santo Domingo where GIROUILLE won 108-107.
GIROUILLE had a slightly better start in the first end. With 10-9-8, he took a 1-point lead over TALUKDAR who scored 8-9-9.
GIROUILLE seems to be used to shooting with very little time remaining, as he shoots last when competing with the French team. Today the archers had only 20 seconds to shoot each arrow, much less than the 30 seconds they usually have.
In the second end, the Frenchman shot 9-10-10 to increase his advantage by 2 points: he led 56-54.
TALUKDAR had a perfect come-back in the third end with 30 points. He trailed by only one point, 83-84, before the last three arrows.
GIROUILLE benefited from the constant support of his coach and did not let the pressure bother him in the last end. His opponent shot 10-9-8, to which the Frenchman answered with 10, 9, and finally a 10 to conclude the match and win 113-110. GIROUILLE has won bronze!

Gold: Simon TERRY (GBR) vs Marco GALIAZZO (ITA) TERRY opened with unusually low scores: a 7 at 2 o’clock followed by two bad arrows, 9 and 8. GALIAZZO also had one bad arrow, an 8 at 7 o’clock. He led 27-24.
TERRY started the second end with another 7, losing more points to trail GALIAZZO 50-55.
It was GALIAZZO’s turn to shoot bad scores in the third end. With a total of 26, he lost 3 points to TERRY who scored 29, but the Italian was still in the lead, 81-79.
With a last end of 8-10-8, the Briton did not put too much pressure on GALIAZZO. The 2004 Olympic champion scored 9-9-9 to win the match 108-105. It’s gold for the Italian archer!  
ZHAO Ling (CHN)   
Recurve Women
Semifinals YUN Ok-Hee (KOR) vs KWAK Ye-Ji (KOR) The two Koreans are both recent team world champions! KWAK also took the individual silver medal in Ulsan this year and earned 1st place at the World Cup Stage 3 in Antalya. YUN was team Olympic champion in 2008 where she also won the individual bronze medal. Moreover, she is the only lady to have won four World Cup stages! YUN and KWAK have met twice in international competitions before and won one time each. YUN defeated her teammate at the 2008 World Cup Stage 2 in Porec, winning the 1/8 elimination round 112-110. KWAK recently took her revenge by winning the final in Antalya 107-101.
In this semifinal, KWAK took the advantage from the very start with a perfect 30. Meanwhile YUN started with an end of 8-9-8, shooting to the left side of the target. She might have been bothered by the wind. KWAK led by 5 points, 30-25.
In the second end, KWAK increased her lead even more, scoring 29 to beat YUN’s total of 28. KWAK led by 6 points halfway through, 59-53.
In the third end, YUN recovered one point. KWAK still led 87-82.
KWAK concluded with 9-9-9 to clinch the match 114-111 and will fight for gold later today!
ZHAO Ling (CHN) vs Berengere SCHUH (FRA) This is the first match between the two archers. ZHAO Ling (CHN) has peaked this year with a victory at the Porec World Cup Stage 2, while Berengere SCHUH (FRA) has been a consistent top archer during the last decade. She was indoor world champion in 2003, European outdoor champion in 2008 and won the team bronze in Beijing.   Both archers started shooting to the left side of the target, probably indicating the direction of the wind. SCHUH had a slow start at 7-8-10, while ZHAO was steadier at 9-x10-x10. The Chinese archer took a 4-point lead, 29-25.
In the second end, SCHUH won back one point to trail 52-55. Both archers scored 28 in the next end, which meant ZHAO still led by 3 points, 83-80, with three arrows to go.
SCHUH opened with 9 in the last end, to recover one point on ZHAO, who scored only 8. Both girls then shot a 9. SCHUH scored a 10 on her last arrow, meaning ZHAO needed at least a 9 to win, which she did! She qualified for the gold final, 109-108.  
   KWAK Ye-Ji (KOR)
Bronze Medal: YUN Ok-Hee (KOR) vs Berengere SCHUH (FRA) YUN already beat SCHUH twice in 2009, in Shanghai and Antalya. Both times she won by a very small margin. Berengere SCHUH is probably very hungry for revenge!
SCHUH shot first and did 9-9-9 for a total of 27 in the first end. YUN scored 9-10-10 to take a 2-point lead.
The French archer shot a little better in the second end. At 8-10-10, she recovered one point to trail YUN 55-56.
The wind was swirling as the archers entered into the third end. Berengere shot 9-9-8 and YUN 10-9-10. YUN led 85-81.
The French archer was not able to recover from her 4-point disadvantage. She did 8-8-9 in her final three arrows, while the Korean did 9-9-9. YUN won the match 112-106 to clinch the bronze medal!
Gold Medal: KWAK Ye-Ji (KOR) vs ZHAO Ling (CHN) This match will be a remake of the Shanghai World Cup bronze medal final in August, where KWAK defeated ZHAO 104-102.
KWAK took an almost perfect start in this final with 29 points to lead ZHAO who scored 9-9-8.
In the second end, the Korean archer scored another 29 points, increasing her margin over ZHAO to 5 points, 58-53.
ZHAO lost more ground in the third end with arrows at 10-7-9, while KWAK had her weaker end of the final at 9-9-9. KWAK led 85-79.
ZHAO was almost perfect in the last end with 10-9-10, but it was too late. KWAK scored 8-10-10 to win the gold 113-108!
New world record in Compound Men     Compound Men
Semifinals Braden GELLENTHIEN (USA) vs Jorge JIMENEZ (ESA) Braden GELLENTHIEN (USA) and Jorge JIMENEZ (ESA) met for gold at the World Cup Final in 2007 in Dubai. JIMENEZ then prevailed in a very tight match! GELLENTHIEN previously beat the Salvadorian in Varese, where the American found himself one perfect arrow away from the match world record. Both are truly great archers with many individual victories. One last note: JIMENEZ finally won a team bronze at the Ulsan World Championships this year, while GELLENTHIEN, at age 23, has already won four times the team outdoor world title!
In this semifinal, GELLENTHIEN took the best possible start with 10-10-10 and a 3-point advantage over Jorge JIMENEZ, who did 8-10-9.
GELLENTHIEN continued to shoot perfectly with another score of 30 to lead JIMENEZ 60-55 halfway through.
JIMENEZ answered with a perfect 30 in the third end, soon matched by the young American!
The last end saw JIMENEZ shoot 10-10-9, while GELLENTHIEN scored another 30 for a perfect total of 120! With eight x10s, he set a new world record in the compound men’s division!
Sergio PAGNI (ITA) vs Patrizio HOFER (SUI) Sergio PAGNI (ITA) and Patrizio HOFER (SUI) are true friends outside the field. They will have to leave friendship aside during their semifinal. PAGNI won their last encounter at the recent World Cup stage in Shanghai. In fact, PAGNI is the only one who has won four World Cup stages! He has a revenge to take because he only finished 4th at the World Cup Final last year, while HOFER was the runner-up!
In this match, PAGNI opened with 10-10-10 to lead HOFER by 2 points, 30-28. The Italian increased his lead in the second end to lead 58-55 halfway through.
PAGNI managed another perfect score in the third end, while HOFER scored 9-10-9. The Italian led 88-83. PAGNI cruised through the last end and won easily, 117-112. He will fight against GELLENTHIEN for the gold medal!  
   Sergio PAGNI (ITA)
Bronze Medal: Jorge JIMENEZ (ESA) vs Patrizio HOFER (SUI)
This match featured two archers who have already met three times at a World Cup event, in 2006, 2007 and 2008. HOFER won the first and last time, and JIMENEZ the second. The matches were very close every time.
In this final for the bronze medal, Jorge JIMENEZ started in perfect fashion with three 10s to lead HOFER 30-28.
HOFER was not going to let the match go and came back in the second end with his own perfect score of 30. Meanwhile, JIMENEZ scored the exact same arrows as HOFER had in the previous end. And so the two archers were tied at 58-58 at the halfway point.
HOFER kept up to his level in the following end with 10-10-10, to which JIMENEZ answered with 9-10-10. HOFER led by just 1 point with three arrows to go, 88-87.
JIMENEZ opened with a 10, followed by another 10 by HOFER. The 2007 champion then scored a 9, to which HOFER answered with a 10. After JIMENEZ scored yet another 9 to conclude his match, HOFER needed only an 8 to win. He scored his ninth 10 in a row to clinch the bronze medal, 118-115!
Gold Medal: Braden GELLENTHIEN (USA) vs Sergio PAGNI (ITA) The first end saw both archers shoot 10-10-9 for a tie at 29-29.
GELLENTHIEN looked disappointed with his score of 29 in the second end, even though it was enough to take the lead (58-57) over PAGNI, who shot 10-9-9.
PAGNI made a come-back in the third end with 30 points, while GELLENTHIEN score “only” 29 again. The two were tied at 87-87 with three arrows to go.
GELLENTHIEN opened with an 8. He looked disgusted, probably anticipating that the mistake would cost him the gold. PAGNI shot a 10, followed by a 10 by the American archer. Then PAGNI scored a 9. GELLENTHIEN still had a chance, but he scored “only” a 9 on his last arrow. With a 9 on his final arrow, the Italian clinched the victory by just one point, 115-114. PAGNI is the new World Cup winner in compound!  
Luzmary GUEDEZ (VEN)   
Compound Women   Semifinals Nicky HUNT (GBR) vs Luzmary GUEDEZ (VEN) The winner of Stage 2 in Porec, Nicky HUNT (GBR), will meet the winner of Stage 3 in Antalya, Luzmary GUEDEZ (VEN), in semifinal. HUNT has had her best season ever this year, while GUEDEZ already won a World Cup stage in 2008 (Boe). She beat HUNT in quarterfinal in Antalya this year, 116-113.
In this match, HUNT scored 9-9-9 for a total of 27 points in her first three arrows. Meanwhile GUEDEZ did 8-10-9 for 27 points of her own. The two athletes were tied with nine arrows to go.
The breeze started coming into the venue in the second end, making the match more challenging. HUNT scored 8-9-10 and GUEDEZ 8-10-8. HUNT led 54-53.
HUNT lost her advantage in the next end, scoring 10-8-9 to GUEDEZ’ 10-9-9. The two were tied at 81-81 with three arrows to go.
Nicky HUNT shot first in the last end and scored 8-10-8, leaving the door open for Luzmary GUEDEZ, who started with 9 and 10. She needed an 8 to win, and managed to score a 9 to qualify for the final against Camilla SOEMOD!
Camilla SOEMOD (DEN) vs Ivana BUDEN (CRO) The host country will be represented in this category! Camilla SOEMOD is back in stellar form after her two European individual titles (indoor and outdoor) in 2006. She won in Shanghai this year and came close to a medal at the world championships, finishing 4th. Finally, SOEMOD beat BUDEN 111-109 for 3rd place in Antalya this year. The Croatian has progressively come on top of this category over the last two years. She was 4th at the World Cup Final in Lausanne last year and climbed three times on the podium at a World Cup stage. She also won bronze in field archery at the World Games last July.
The archers started their match under increasing wind. However that did not seem to bother their scores. SOEMOD opened with a perfect 10 to the great joy of the Danish crowd. With 10-9-10, she took a 1-point advantage over BUDEN, who did 9-9-10.
BUDEN scored 29 in the next end, while SOEMOD did 27. And so it was the Croatian’s turn to have a 1-point lead, 57-56.
Thanks to an 8 by BUDEN, SOEMOD recovered “her” 1-point lead in the third end, 85-84.
Both archers started their last end with a 10. BUDEN followed with a 9, to which SOEMOD answered with a 10. The Croatian scored 9 in her last arrow, meaning Camilla needed an 8 to win. She shot an 8, clinching the victory! Denmark will have one archer in a gold medal final this afternoon!
   Camilla SOEMOD (DEN)Bronze Medal: Ivana BUDEN (CRO) vs Nicky HUNT (GBR) These two archers have met earlier this year at the World Cup stage 2 in Porec. HUNT was the winner 113-111, and BUDEN probably wanted to take revenge here!
In their final for the bronze medal, BUDEN and HUNT both scored 29 in their first end.
Nicky HUNT had a bad 8 in the second end, which cost her a 2-point loss on her opponent. BUDEN let 58-56 halfway through the bronze medal final.
BUDEN had her lowest scores of the match in the third end at 9-9-9. HUNT recovered one point to trail 84-85 before the final three arrows.
The Croatian archer was rock solid in the last end, scoring a perfect 30 to clinch the bronze medal, 115-111!
Gold Medal: Camilla SOEMOD vs Luzmary GUEDEZ (VEN) This final featured two archers who have already competed together this year in Antalya. GUEDEZ had won 107-106.
Here in Copenhagen, SOEMOD had two 8s in the first end for a total of 25, which allowed GUEDEZ to take the lead with 9-10-8, 27-25.
Both archers shot the exact same scores in the second end (9-10-9). GUEDEZ was still leading by 2 points, 55-53.
GUEDEZ was unable to maintain her level in the third end. She shot 9-9-9, while SOEMOD came back with 10-9-10 for a tie, 82-82.
SOEMOD shot first in the last end. She opened with a 9 soon matched by GUEDEZ. The Danish champion followed with an 8, while GUEDEZ did a 9. The final arrow would decide the gold medallist. SOEMOD shot an 8, opening the door for GUEDEZ who needed at least an 8 for the victory. The archer from Venezuela did just that to win the gold medal, 108-107!
Mixed Teams In Copenhagen, the Danish recurve and compound teams welcomed the two best mixed teams of the year, China and Italy, selected over the four World Cup stages held in 2009.
In the recurve category, the Danish pair of CHRISTIANSEN/CASPERSEN lost to China’s ZHAO/YU, while in compound, SOEMOD/DAMSBO beat PAGNI/ANASTASIO from Italy.
It is the last time that the mixed teams is held as exhibition in a FITA event. From next year, it will be an official category included in the programme of all the World Archery competitions.
Today we had the top archer Martin DAMSBO (DEN) joining us for the commentary. Many thanks to him!
Vanahé ANTILLE FITA Communication