Mokrice (SLO) – The Canadian team has wrapped up their participation at the World Archery 3D Championships in Slovenia, delivering impressive performances despite some tough eliminations.
In the Women’s Traditional category, Katie Britton (Pinantan Lake, BC) faced Claudia Hossfeld of Mexico in the 1/8 elimination round and advanced. However, she was ultimately eliminated by Italy’s Sabrina Vannini with a score of 88-102, finishing the competition in 5th place. Reflecting on the experience, Katie noted, “I’m proud of everyone for doing the best they could while exhibiting good sportsmanship among Team Canada and with other athletes.”
Miranda Sparkes from Logan Lake, BC, competed in the Longbow Women category and faced Inge Sirkel-Suviste of Estonia in her elimination round. She was eliminated with a score of 80-97, securing a final rank of 9th.
William Alex Melnik (Burlington, AB), the 2022 World Championships Silver medalist in the Men’s Barebow category, faced Austria’s Christian Klein-Weinberger. Despite a strong effort, he was eliminated with a score of 98-105, finishing in 9th place. Alex shared, “”Eliminations didn’t go as planned – but I’m proud of the overall performance – there were lots of upsets and the regular players got shuffled around. We will return to Canada with our heads held high and with new ideas in them.”
Monica Higgins of Lethbridge, AB, in the Compound Women category, competed against Irene Francini of Italy. She was eliminated with a score of 108-124, also ending her competition in 9th place.
In the team events, Canada’s men finished 12th, while the women’s team claimed 9th place. The rankings for the mixed teams are as follows:
Compound Mixed Team: Monica Higgins and Curtis Meyers – 9th
Barebow Mixed Team: Amanda Vavrek and William Alex Melnik – 14th
Longbow Mixed Team: Miranda Sparkes and Eric Malebranche – 10th
Traditional Mixed Team: Katie Britton and Gentian Zoto – 14th
Team Manager Gabrielle Courtorielle remarked, “It was an incredible experience working with this remarkable group of individuals from across Canada, each of them strong and resilient, giving their all in the tournament. Throughout the highs and lows, we faced numerous challenges, but the team consistently supported and uplifted one another, highlighting their unique strengths and showcasing their best performances on the world stage. It was a tremendous honor to support such an amazing team, and I am deeply grateful to have been part of the community we built together. The memories we created as Team Canada at the World 3D Archery Championships in Mokrice, Slovenia, are ones I will always cherish, and I will forever be proud of what we accomplished.”
Lana Perry, acting as coach, reflected on the incredible experience, stating, “It’s difficult to sum up everything that has transpired over the past week. It’s been a pleasure to be a member of the team and see the group support each other, cheer each other on, lift each other up when someone didn’t perform to their personal standards, and celebrate when achievements are made, regardless of what those goals were. I’m proud of everyone for doing the best they could while exhibiting good sportsmanship among team Canada and with other athletes. It takes a lot of work, dedication, consistency, and focus to achieve those results. Our athletes competed well, unfortunately, even when you shoot a great match, you have no control over how well your opponent does, and the field is full of the best of the best.”
For full results and detailed standings, visit: https://info.ianseo.net/?tourid=750
For more information, please contact:
Karl Balisch
Executive Director
Archery Canada
kbalisch@archerycanada.ca