Andrea Gales gained a stunning victory over GB teammate Nicky Hunt at the Archery World Cup Final in Edinburgh, and secured a fourth place finish in the women’s compound tournament.
World number one Hunt was among five out of the six British archers involved at the two day event in East Princes Street Gardens in the centre of the capital who fell in the opening round, with Gales blowing her away in a one-arrow shoot-off, after a thrilling match that swung one way, then another, and finished 5-5.
But the current world champion Albina Loginova of Russia proved too good for Gales in the semi-finals, as did Erika Anschutz of the United States in their bronze medal match, which the American won 7-1. Gales though was satisfied with her days work.
‘For me, being here was a fantastic experience, and ultimately I paid the price for a couple of mistakes, but if you make them at this level you pay a heavy price,’ said Gales, from Woking, who picked up a cheque for £700 for her fourth place finish.
‘But it’s been a fantastic weekend, and the support I had from the crowd was just amazing, and it all makes up for the disappointment of not qualifying for the Commonwealth Games.’
Hunt, from Ipswich, went into the tournament having secured the world number one ranking earlier this month, and having qualified for the World Cup Grand Final in top spot. But for the second year running (she finished fourth at last year’s World Cup Final in Copenhagen) she left empty handed.
‘It was very disappointing, but these things happen. I made one bad mistake against Andrea and paid heavily for it, but once again it’s been a great experience, and all in all I’ve had a great year, with three podium finishes at World Cup events leading up to the Final, and I’ll finish the season as world number one, so I can’t complain.’
Loginova went on to win her first World Cup Grand Final title, when she beat Canada’s Ashley Wallace in the final, while in the men’s recurve event American Brady Ellison was also a first time winner, with victory over the reigning Olympic champion Im Dong Hyun, from Korea, in the final.
Lincolnshire’s Simon Terry and Alan Wills, from Cumbria, both crashed out in the opening round of the men’s recurve event, though they did both lose to the eventual finalists. Terry lost a closely fought match to Im, while Wills went out to Ellison. India’s Jayanta Talukdar beat defending World Cup champion Marco Galiazzo of Italy to win the bronze medal.
Wills, a World Cup bronze medalist in Dubai three years ago, said: ‘I’ve not had a great year, with one thing and another, but I’m getting back to my best day by day, and this is another step forward.’
Wills, like Terry and Hunt, will be representing England at next month’s Commonwealth Games.
Sunday Results:-
Men’s recurve: 1st round: Jayanta Talukdar (IND) bt Michele Frangilli (ITA) 6-2, Marco Galiazzo (ITA) beat Kim Woojin (KOR) 6-4, Im Dong Hyun (KOR) bt Simon Terry (GBR) 7-3, Brady Ellison (USA) bt Alan Wills (GBR) 6-2. Semi-finals: Ellison bt Talukdar 5-5, won a one-arrow shoot-off, Im bt Galiazzo 6-2. Bronze medal match: Talukdar bt Galiazzo 6-2. Gold medal match: Ellison bt Im 6-2.
Women’s compound: 1st round: Albina Loginova (RUS) bt Sandrine Vandionant (FRA) 6-0, Ashley Wallace (CAN) bt Jamie Van Natta (USA) 6-0, Erika Anschutz (USA) bt Linda Ochoa (MEX) 6-0, Andrea Gales (GBR) bt Nicky Hunt (GBR) 5-5, won one-arrow shoot-off. Semi-finals: Loginova bt Gales 6-0, Wallace bt Anschutz 7-1. Bronze medal match: Anschutz bt Gales 7-1. Gold medal match: Loginova bt Wallace 5-5, won one-arrow shoot-off.
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