Nesp takes top ranking spot in Copenhagen

The recurve men’s qualification round started in tricky conditions on the Copenhagen qualification field.

The competition, in which only 104 would make the second round, had 233 athletes taking to the field to shoot 72 crucial qualifying arrows – both for themselves, and the team event. Only the top 16 teams have a chance of winning an Olympic quota spot during team eliminations on Tuesday.

Newly crowned youth World Champion Marcus D’Almeida was leading after the first half, with 336 points.

The young Brazilian athlete was followed by Korean Bonchan Ku and David Pasqualucci from Italy with 333 points each – but during the second half, the landscape at the top changed completely.

Italy’s Mauro Nespoli surged to the top and a three-point margin over second finisher Dan Olaru from Moldova, with 666 points. Ku Bonchan was third with 660.

Nespoli, known for his strong ranking rounds, was content.

“The windy was not so easy to understand,” he said. “I needed to aim in different places every time I shot, but it was interesting to see that everyone was on the same situation.”

Mauro also qualified top at the last European Championships – with an extremely-high draw weight on his bow. He’s put that poundage down now.

“I’m on about 52 pounds. I tried the second bow, which is heavier, but then I shake more and it was not windy enough. I’ve always got to find the balance between having the arrows move less in the wind and how easy it is to aim.”

Eighteen-year-old Dan Olaru from Moldova has been competing internationally since 2010.

In London 2012, Dan finished ninth and ever since, he has been shooting at different stages of the Archery World Cup reaching, usually, a similar position.

Seeded number two, Dan was happy with the great ranking – and his career high score in competition – having not expected things to go on so well based on the weather conditions.

“For me it’s a good score because the weather is very bad and it’s very cold. I did expect to do well but maybe not that well. I’m happy.”

Sjef van den Berg, from the Netherlands, was fourth and Brady Ellison, USA, seventh.

Takaharu Furukawa from Japan, Markiyan Ivashko from Ukraine and Kuo Cheng-Wei from Chinese Taipei went to a one-shoot-off arrow for eighth place and a bye into the third round.

Furukawa shot an X, Kuo a 10 and Ivashko a nine to finish eighth, ninth and tenth, respectively.

Olympic champion Oh Jin Hyek was 65th at the halfway point – but pulled out a ridiculous comeback over the back straight and finished eleventh with 655 points.

“I didn’t catch how the wind was twirling. I aimed on the right and my arrow went to the red on the left. Then I aimed left and it went right,” said Oh. “I lost control of my shooting after that.”

Not Olympic Champion for no reason, Jin Hyek grappled with the conditions and quickly got the better of them.

“In the second half I got used to the wind and scores were better.”

Marcus D’Almeida landed fifth – his best qualifying performance at a senior event on the season.

Toronto 2015 Pan American champion Luis Alvarez, a title he picked up just a week prior to the worlds beginning, missed the 104-athlete cut in perhaps the biggest surprise of the session.

His Mexican team, too, was down in 20th position and did not qualify for the brackets.

Korea, Italy and the Netherlands were the top seeded teams.