The climax of the World Archery World Cup season comes in Samsun (TUR) with the 13th World Cup Final on Saturday and Sunday. The event is limited to qualifiers from the four prior World Cups, including the event winners, the next three in the World Cup rankings and one spot for the host Turks. The entries (with current world rankings):
Men/Recurve:
∙ Steve Wojler (NED: 1)
∙ Woo-Seok Lee (KOR: 2)
∙ Woo-Jin Kim (KOR: 3)
∙ Mauro Nespoli (ITA: 4)
∙ Mete Gazoz (TUR: 6)
∙ Brady Ellison (USA: 7)
∙ Taylor Worth (AUS: 14)
∙ Fatih Bozlar (TUR: 78)
Men/Compound:
∙ Mike Schloesser (NED: 1)
∙ Stephan Hansen (DEN: 2)
∙ Braden Gellenthien (USA: 3)
∙ Abhishek Verma (IND: 5)
∙ Kris Schaff (USA: 6)
∙ Pierre-Julien Deloche (FRA: 7)
∙ Jong-Ho Kim (KOR: 8)
∙ Demir Elmaagacli (TUR: 12)
Women/Recurve:
∙ Hye-Jin Chang (KOR: 1)
∙ Ksenia Perova (RUS: 2)
∙ Ya-Ting Tan (TPE 3)
∙ Eun-Gyeong Lee (KOR: 4)
∙ Lisa Unruh (GER: 5)
∙ Deepika Kumari (IND: 8)
∙ Chien-Ying Lei (TPE: 9)
∙ Yasemin Anagoz (TUR: 11)
Women/Compound:
∙ Yesim Bostan (TUR: 1)
∙ Sara Lopez (COL: 2)
∙ Sophie Dodemont (FRA: 3)
∙ Chae-Won So (KOR: 5)
∙ Yi-Hsuan Chen (TPE: 7)
∙ Linda Ochoa-Anderson (MEX: 9)
∙ Marcela Tonioli (ITA: 11)
∙ Gizem Elmaagcli (TUR: 32)
Three of the four defending champs are back in Kim (men’s Recurve), Gellenthien (men’s Compound) and Lopez (women’s Compound). Women’s Recurve champ Bo-Bae Ki (KOR) is not competing, but 2017 silver winner Perova is in.
Ellison (pictured) has won this title four times, in 2010-11-14-16 and was runner-up last season. Since his first appearance in 2010, he’s won a medal every time except in 2015.
In the women’s Recurve, the most decorated entrant is India’s Deepika Kumari, who has four silvers in 2011-12-13-15. Korean archers have won this division three straight times and seven of the last nine.
In Compound, Lopez has dominated the women’s competition, winning three of the last four years, with Tonioli winning in 2015. The men’s field includs former winners Gellenthien (2012-17), Elmaagcli (2015) and Schloesser (2016). Gellenthien won his first World Cup Final medal in 2007 ( a silver) and owns two golds and four silvers all together.
The Compound events will be shot on Saturday and the Recurve events on Sunday and a Mixed Team event will be held in both disciplines. There is prize money for the top four places of CHF 20,000-10,000-5,000-1,000, plus a trophy and a Longines watch for the winners! Look for results here.
