Mexican archer Dafne Quintero secured the silver medal in the compound women’s division at the Archery World Cup Final, finishing on the podium during a competitive opening day of the tournament hosted in Saltillo, Mexico, according to regional sports coverage.
Plaza de Armas Showdown
The elite season-ending event brings together the top eight athletes in each discipline from across the global circuit, which featured stops throughout the year in Puebla, Mexico; Shanghai, China; Antalya, Turkey; and Madrid, Spain.
During the afternoon session in the historic Plaza de Armas, Quintero matched up against Turkey’s Hazal Burun in a tightly contested quarterfinal match. Both competitors opened with a flawless first round, but the Mexican archer maintained her composure through shifting momentum to edge out a 144-143 victory, as reported by Vanguardia.
Gold Medal Match and Podium
Advancing to the semifinal phase, Quintero secured her spot in the gold medal match. On the opposing side of the bracket, American archer Alexis Ruiz defeated Colombia’s Sara López to book her place in the final. In the title showdown, Ruiz posted the higher score to capture the gold medal, leaving Quintero with a hard-earned silver, while López collected the bronze.
An emotional Quintero addressed the packed grandstands after the medal ceremony, thanking the local spectators for their unwavering backing of both regional athletes and the broader national delegation.
Men’s Division Shoot-Offs
The opening day of competition in Coahuila also delivered a podium finish in the compound men’s division. Mexican archer Rodrigo González de Alba fought through a tense quarterfinal against the Netherlands’ Mike Schloesser, ending regulation tied at 146-146. González de Alba clinched the subsequent shoot-off with a precise tiebreaker arrow to advance.
After falling to Denmark’s Mathias Fullerton in the next round, González de Alba rebounded in the bronze medal match against Colombia’s Pablo Gómez Zuluaga. A composed performance earned the Mexican competitor the bronze medal. Austria’s Nico Wiener claimed the gold medal in the men’s compound event, while Fullerton took home the silver.
Monclova Representation in Saltillo
Fellow Mexican competitor Sebastián García, representing Monclova, also featured in the men’s compound bracket. García faced Pablo Gómez Zuluaga in a closely fought quarterfinal that began with a matching pair of perfect opening rounds. The Colombian capitalized on minor margins in the later ends to advance, while García received an ovation from the home crowd.
The tournament format highlights the world’s elite compound and recurv archers following a demanding multi-stage international circuit overseen by World Archery. Saltillo marks the latest Mexican city to host the prestigious season finale, following prior editions held in Mérida, Mexico City, Tlaxcala, and Hermosillo over the past two decades.
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