Nearly 200 archers from 11 countries gathered in Guadalajara, including a team from the U.S. Olympic training center in San Diego, for the Versus MX Shoot 2014.
The archery tournament at the Pan American Archery Field in the Unidad Deportiva Revolución has been growing yearly and it’s starting to attracting top-notch competitors from Mexico and abroad.
Mexico proved its archery prowess at the 2012 Summer Olympics, when Aída Román and Mariana Avitia took home silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the women’s individual competition.
Locals fared well at the competition at the end of March. Linda Ochoa Ochoa, a Tapatia, took home the gold medal in the women’s compound bow category, after winning a tiebreaker against American Erika Jones. Rosalia Dominguez, of Mexico City, won bronze.In the men’s category, Dutch archer Mike Sholesser won in a playoff against Julio Fierro, also a tapatío, while Roberto Hernandez of El Salvador grabbed the bronze.
As archers fired at targets some 50 meters away on a balmy afternoon Saturday, U.S. coach Guy Krueger said 13 athletes came from the Olympic training center in San Diego as well as some individual competitors.
The tournament gave them a chance to work out any kinks in a competitive, real-pressure environment, Krueger said. “We use it as an opportunity to prepare for the 2014 season,” he said.
This year, Krueger said the U.S. archers are looking to win the most number of World Cup points as well as build the international presence of its women’s team.
Their performance in Guadalajara had largely proved successful, with many team members shooting well into the final rounds. Krueger also praised the quality of Guadalajara’s archery field, along with its friendly people and tasty food.