Two young archers from San Francisco secured podium finishes at the youth archery tournament held in Villa Maria, Argentina, bringing home gold and bronze medals following competition held from October 10 to October 12, according to local club reports.
Emma Bicego, representing the Club de Tiro con Arco of the Asociación Civil Familia Piemontesa de San Francisco, won the gold medal in the Sub-13 barebow (raso) category during the 2026 Youth Cup (Copa Juvenil). Competing at a distance of 20 meters, Bicego accumulated 648 points across two qualification rounds, shooting 325 in the first round and 323 in the second. In the same competition, Leo Ezequiel Vivas of Club Tiro y Gimnasia earned the bronze medal in the Sub-21 recurve category at 70 meters.
Cordoba Competition and National Program Milestones
Organized by the Villa Maria Archery School (Escuela de Tiro con Arco de Villa Maria), the event took place at the local Rural Society (Sociedad Rural) grounds, gathering more than 80 young archers from across the country. The tournament combined the Argentine Youth Cup and the Young Promises National Gathering (Encuentro Nacional de Jóvenes Promesas), operating under World Archery regulations and Fatarco norms with elimination rounds starting from the quarterfinals for official divisions.
Bicego competed under the FATARCO Young Promises Program (Programa Jóvenes Promesas), which serves as a developmental and evaluative platform within the national federation. With her 648-point total, the 11-year-old surpassed the three benchmarks established by the program for her category and distance: the category advancement threshold of 520 points, the Young Promises Master recognition set at 560 points, and the Young Promises Excellence recognition at 600 points.
Club records indicate that Bicego had previously met program standards twice within the Sub-15 division. By surpassing the 20-meter targets in her debut at that distance, she earned advancement to the 30-meter division and qualification to compete in the Sub-15 barebow category, which is an official World Archery classification.
National Coaching Evaluation in Villa Maria
On Monday, October 12, Bicego, alongside fellow competitors and coaches, participated in a working session led by the coaching staff of the National Selection. The program featured a workshop and evaluation phase designed to review athlete performance, facilitate discussions with personal coaches, and provide technical guidance for ongoing development. National team coaches acknowledged Bicego’s results and the preparation standard maintained by her training staff.
Club officials noted that participation in the national evaluation offers athletes and coaches an opportunity to receive direct observations, identify areas for improvement, and utilize new training methods to support long-term athletic progression.
Vivas Reaches National Podium in Sub-21 Recurve
Leo Ezequiel Vivas achieved his third-place finish in the Sub-21 recurve division during his second appearance at a national youth championship. After securing the third seed in the qualification round, Vivas advanced through the elimination brackets to reach the finals at 70 meters.
The tournament format separated the weekend into two distinct segments: the national championship decisions for U15, U18, and U21 divisions in compound and recurve disciplines, and the development-focused school categories operating under the Young Promises framework.
