Bittersweet Farewell for Mexican Archery Veterans
Mexican archers shine at Paris 2024. Valencia fights back to advance, young Grande impresses, while veterans Vázquez and Rojas bid emotional farewells. Team wins bronze, raising national hopes.
Archer Alejandra Valencia Trujillo earned her ticket to the round of 16 in the women's individual event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after adding her first two victories in the elimination round. The bronze medalist in Tokyo 2020 and in the current Olympic edition began her journey against the American Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez, whom she defeated with a score of 6-2 to access the round of 32.
In that instance, the current world runner-up would shoot against the Ukrainian Veronika Marchenko, who caused a stir by beating Tsai-Chi Li, from Chinese Taipei. The European showed that her first victory was not a coincidence and put the Mexican in trouble, who was visibly dissatisfied with her first shots.
Marchenko took a 2-0 lead, but Valencia tied the second set and took the third to make it 3-3. The fourth set also ended in a tie, so a fifth was necessary in which the current Pan American champion shot two 10-pointers and one 9-pointer to secure the 6-4 victory. The Sonoran will return to the shooting line this Friday to face the round of 16 in mixed teams with Matías Grande. While the individual event will be held on August 3.
Alejandra Valencia is going to the round of 16 at the Olympic Games. The double Olympic medalist remains firm in her goal of obtaining three podiums in Paris 2024. Credit: CONADE
Matías Grande, straight to the round of 16 in Paris 2024
At just 20 years old, the Mexican archer Matías Grande Kalionchiz is already one of the 16 best exponents of his discipline in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after qualifying for the round of 16 in the men's individual event.
The current Pan American champion showed up at the shooting line to defeat Otgonbold Baatarkhuyag of Mongolia 7-1 and seal his passage to the round of 32, where he would face Colombian Jorge Enriquez, crowned South American champion this year.
Grande Kalionchiz won the first set 29-28. Enriquez responded in the next two to tie them and put the score at 4-2 in favor of the Aztec, who in the last episode shot three arrows of perfect qualification to ensure his presence in the round of 16, to be held on August 4.
"I am happy with how we have worked from that shooting line; I got through the training sessions, those sleepless nights and not wanting to go to training, but I had a reason for all this, and now I can understand the effort I put in every day despite being tired or in pain. Anything can be done because it is what one yearns for, desires and dreams of," he said after his duels.
The runner-up of the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, who will enter into action this Friday in the round of 16 for mixed teams with Alejandra Valencia, highlighted the support of the National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport (CONADE) and the National Center for the Development of Sports Talents and High Performance (CNAR) to achieve his results on the international scene.
"Thank you very much for all the support, I feel quite happy and grateful for everything that has arisen for this situation with everything that has been given to me. I am truly grateful from the CNAR facilities to the CONADE directors," he reflected.
Matías Grande, straight to the round of 16 at Paris 2024. The archer triumphed in his first individual elimination duels. Credit: CONADE
No more arrows for Ana Paula Vázquez in Paris 2024
After winning bronze in the women's team, archer Ana Paula Vázquez returned to the shooting line on the esplanade of Les Invalides in Paris on Thursday to face her individual commitment in her second Olympic Games. Vázquez faced the German Charline Schwarz in the first phase of the women's qualifiers, a duel in which she fell 6-4, marking her farewell to the world competition.
"It leaves me with a bittersweet taste, I feel that I did well, that I did better than Tokyo, mentally much stronger than Tokyo and I feel very happy with my result," she said.
"I know that it was the first match, but in the Olympic Games the first one is already difficult and that is a fact, I am happy; Bittersweet because I did well, but bitter because I lost despite it, in sport that happens like that, sometimes you sometimes win you lose, and I had to lose, but on the day of the medal we had to win, so there is nothing to complain about,” she commented.
Excited, Ana Paula Vázquez detailed the complete experience that Paris 2024 meant to her, the stages, the public, her medal, the duels, her triumphant return to the Olympic Games.
“Paris leaves me with a very good taste in my mouth and made me remember how much I love archery, it made me remember that I do it because I love and like this sport and this for me is this and doing what you like in the Olympic Games is nameless, I feel grateful to have opened my eyes in this way,” she shared.
Archer Ana Paula Vázquez concluded her second Olympic experience in the individual event with a medal in the women's team. Credit: CONADE
In the men's category, Carlos Rojas also said goodbye to his first Olympic experience, as at the start of the men's individual elimination duels he was beaten by the Turkish Berkim Tumer by 6-4.
“Personally, I was quite nervous. I feel that it was the combination of nerves and the wind that made the scores go down. I take away a great experience because there are many emotions, the support of all the Mexicans that fills me with emotion and happiness, it pushes me because I would like to go further and achieve more things, it gives me that determination to keep moving forward,” he shared.
