In the opening event of the 2025 Archery World Cup season, the Central Florida tournament, Mexico's Andrea Becerra finally clinched the coveted World Cup individual gold medal she had long desired. Becerra dramatically defeated American newcomer Olivia Dean in a final shoot-off with a perfect X-ten, ascending to the top of the podium. Dean also celebrated her first World Cup medal, a valuable silver.
Becerra held a narrow 116-115 lead with only the final five arrows remaining, but couldn't replicate her previous end's perfect 30, scoring 28 in the last end. In contrast, Dean, making her World Cup debut, calmly shot a 29, forcing a 117-117 tie and a shoot-off.
Having been defeated in a shoot-off in the Shanghai World Cup final last year by Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Becerra seized the opportunity in this second shoot-off to overcome past disappointments. Her arrow pierced the exact right side of the innermost X-ring, a more precise shot than Dean's 10, securing the gold medal.
Becerra, who defeated her compatriot and eventual bronze medalist Mariana Bernal in the semifinals, expressed her overwhelming joy: "I am really happy. I wanted this moment so much. I worked for this moment from the qualification round, and I am so happy to take the gold medal back home." Humbly admitting that her final 10 was a bit lucky, she added about the shoot-off, "I was so focused that I felt my hand shaking. So I thought, 'Let it shake in the middle,' and it turned out well."
With this victory, Becerra achieved her long-awaited World Cup gold, but two more significant goals remain for her this year: winning the World Championships, where she narrowly missed gold against Aditi Gopichand Swami in the 2023 Gwangju final, and triumphing at the 2025 Nanjing World Cup Final, for which she has already qualified.
Securing the top seed in the qualification round and showcasing her exceptional skills in the sweltering Central Florida heat, Becerra believes this gold medal will be a major motivation for her in the remaining two major events. "The pressure is much less now, and I will continue this momentum and enjoy competing for the rest of the year. I hope to achieve similar good results at the World Championships," she stated with determination.
Meanwhile, in the men's compound final held at Lake Myrtle Sports Park in the afternoon, Denmark's world No. 2 Mathias Fullerton celebrated his first-ever World Cup individual gold medal. Fullerton dominated Mexico's Sebastian Garcia, the 2023 Pan American champion, with a score of 148-144. He shot three perfect scores of 30 and only two 9s over five ends, securing the victory with just two points shy of a perfect 150. Garcia took silver, and Chinese Taipei's Chen Chieh-Lun won bronze.
Fullerton, the winner of the 2023 Hermosillo World Cup Final, commented, "I always thought I shot well, but I never really got the good results at the normal World Cups. I did well at the Final, but I always fell short of winning, and now I feel like all the hard work has paid off." He added, "I know how it works in my head, what I need to do in high-pressure situations. This time everything clicked, and I'm just super happy that I shot a good match from start to finish."
The final day of the competition tomorrow will feature the recurve events. The team finals will be held in the morning, followed by the individual semifinals and finals in the afternoon. All matches will be broadcast live on archery+.
Central Florida 2025 Podiums
Compound Men
1st: Mathias Fullerton (DEN) 2nd: Sebastian Garcia (MEX) 3rd: Chen Chieh-Lun (TPE)
Compound Women
1st: Andrea Becerra (MEX) 2nd: Olivia Dean (USA) 3rd: Mariana Bernal (MEX)
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