It’s gold for Lopez: World Games 2022
It’s gold for Lopez: World Games 2022. Colombia won a gold medal at the World Games after a dramatic match against The Netherlands.
The first round ended with a score of 39-39. Colombia took the lead in the second round by a single point, 78-77. But it was not for long that they were allowed to keep the point. The Netherlands stole it back in the third round with a score of 116-115.
The players went on for the fourth round under great pressure and anticipation. The fourth round ended in a tie. There was a tie-breaker organized and the players prepared for a shoot-off. Colombia shot first and won the shoot-off after Lopez’s initial 9 was upgraded to 10.
“I am so, so over the moon right now,” said Colombia’s Sara Lopez. “I am so relieved that this is over. It was really hot. I’m just so proud and so happy right now.”
Both the teams lost a chance to win individual gold in Alabama. Sara Lopez settled for a silver medal while Mike Schloesser lost in the quarterfinals.
Despite that quality, Colombia ranked fifth and the Netherlands ranked sixth in qualification.
In the lead-up to the 2022 World Games and in the competition this week, Lopez talked about winning the first-ever mixed team medal for her country at a World Games. She wanted the medal with her partner Daniel Munoz and it finally came true in dramatic circumstances.
“That is what I wanted,” said Lopez. “I wanted a gold with Danny and that’s what I got. It was a really tough match. I have admired Mikey for my whole life so shooting with him is such an honor.”
“I didn’t know my arrow was a 10 so when Danny shot a 10 he already was really happy. I was in shock. My maths in my brain was messed up. I was sure my arrow was a 10 but at the last minute they changed it.”
Lopez and Munoz won mixed team gold in the Bolivarian Games. They also earned a gold medal in the 2022 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Antalya. They are also world champions and are ranked second in the current world rankings.
“It feels fantastic,” said Munoz.
“There are days that dreams come true and this is one of those days. There was a lot of pressure. I was not feeling good all the competition. But in the mixed team competition, I showed my best shooting yesterday and today. I gave all of me.”
Final Ranking: Compound mixed teams
- Colombia (Sara Lopez and Daniel Munoz)
Netherlands (Jody Beckers and Mike Schloesser)- India (Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Abhishek Verma)
Netherlands (Jody Beckers and Mike Schloesser)
India (Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Abhishek Verma)