Archers competing in the men’s and women’s recurve divisions gathered in Ruse, Bulgaria, for the European Club Team Cup, where Pablo Acha González secured a bronze medal competing alongside French club Clermont Ferrand.
Bronze Secured in Ruse After Tight Elimination Rounds
The tournament brought together 66 athletes, comprising 42 men and 24 women, distributed across 13 men’s teams and eight women’s teams in the Olympic recurve discipline, organized by the Bulgarian Archery Federation. The event opened with a 70-meter ranking round before moving into group play and final brackets. Pablo Acha finished the qualification round in fifth place individually after recording 665 points out of a possible 720 over 72 arrows.
Clermont Ferrand’s team score relied on contributions from Acha alongside teammates Michael Sanna and Romain Viale. Viale added 661 points and Sanna contributed 634, bringing the French club’s combined total to 1,960 points out of 2,160 and placing them third in the team qualification standings. Acha has collaborated with Clermont Ferrand since 2017, marking nine years of collaboration with the French outfit.
Clermont Ferrand Loses Semifinal to Rennes
Drawn into Group C alongside Dinamiks-Silistra of Bulgaria and RCOP-Minsk of Belarus, Clermont Ferrand advanced through the preliminary pool by defeating the Bulgarian side 6-0 and overcoming the Belarusian squad 5-3 to claim top spot in the group with six points. That progression set up a semifinal clash against fellow French club Rennes. The match ended in a 4-4 deadlock after regular sets, forcing a tie-break arrow where both teams scored 24 points. Rennes advanced to the final only after winning a closest-to-center measure.
Securing the Third-Position Podium Finish Against Kamnik
Relegated to the third-place playoff, Clermont Ferrand faced Slovenia’s Kamnik. The French trio claimed the opening two sets to jump out to a 4-0 lead. Although Kamnik halved the third set to earn a point, the 5-1 final score secured the bronze medal for Clermont Ferrand. Reflecting on his performance in Bulgaria, Acha stated that he felt comfortable throughout the event and enjoyed contributing to his club’s podium finish.
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