In a high-stakes archery showdown at the Hipódromo de Rosario, Argentina secured an unforgettable bronze medal in the mixed team recurve event. Córdoba’s María González, 37, and Viedma’s Iván Nikolajuk, 25, clinched the podium finish by defeating Venezuela in a dramatic tiebreaker during the South American multi-sport games.
The battle for the third-place podium spot demanded absolute precision from both national squads. Argentina and Venezuela traded points throughout the regulation ends, deadlocked at 153 points apiece as the regulation course concluded, forcing a high-pressure shoot-off to decide the medalist.
Nerve-Wracking Shoot-Off Settles 153-All Tie
Under tournament rules for tied matches, the shoot-off requires each competing archer to fire a single arrow to break the deadlock. González and Nikolajuk kept their composure under intense stadium pressure, outscoring their Venezuelan opponents 19 to 18 in the decisive one-arrow rotation.
According to Uno Santa Fe, the narrow one-point margin in the final decider unleashed an emotional celebration from the Argentine delegation as the pair secured their hard-fought bronze.
Medal Context in the South American Scene
The dramatic victory adds another notable result to Argentina’s medal tally at the regional games. For Nikolajuk and González, the podium finish rewards a disciplined campaign characterized by consistency against top South American competitors in the recurve discipline.
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