Are you craving the excitement of watching archers compete on the world’s biggest stage? Don’t worry, the next Summer Games will be here before you know it. Archery at the Paris Summer Olympics will open on July 25, 2024, and close on Aug. 4, 2024. But before that happens, the archers need to qualify. Archers from around the world will begin competing for the coveted spots for 64 men and 64 women at the 2023 World Archery Championships in July.
To qualify for the Olympic Games, archers must meet a minimum qualification score of 640 for men and 610 for women. Those rankings must be achieved at/by the final qualifying event in June 2024. Even though the release of the final roster for Team USA is over a year away, archers will begin their journey to the big stage in just a few short months. Anything can happen during the qualification stages, but let’s see who’s going into the Olympic year with a spotlight already shining on them.
Men’s Rankings
The race for the men’s Olympic spots could be a close one. The No. 1 and No. 4 ranked male recurve archers are separated by only 10.5 points.
Marcus D’Almeida of Brazil currently holds the top spot with 290.5 points. This is an awesome improvement from last year; he was ranked No. 7 at this time in 2022. He is no stranger to the Olympic stage, having competed in 2016 and 2021.
Kim Woojin of Korea is right on D’Almeida’s tail, only half a point behind. He is also no stranger to the Olympics. He took home the gold in the team event in 2016 and then grabbed gold again with his team in 2021. With 15 World Cup stage wins, eight World Cup final wins, and seven World Championship wins, it’s no surprise he’s a solid contender.
Miguel Alvarino Garcia of Spain is also an Olympic veteran, having competed in 2016. He is currently ranked third, a massive improvement from this time last year when he was ranked No. 17.
Currently ranking fourth is Brady Ellison of the United States. Ellison has competed in four straight Olympic Games, starting in 2008, taking home two silver and one bronze. His Olympic status spans 15 years and counting. Combine that with 20 World Cup stage wins, five World Cup final wins and 11 World Championship wins, and he could easily go for Olympic Games No. 5.
Women’s Rankings
The distance between the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked female recurve archers is a bit wider than that between the men, spanning eight points as opposed to 0.5 points, but that doesn’t make the final predictions any easier to call.
Katharina Bauer of Germany currently holds the No. 1 spot with 266.25 points. Bauer has been steadily gathering medals every couple of tournaments since the 2022 Vegas Shoot. Her meteoric rise to the top is the most drastic out of any of the archers mentioned in this article. She was ranked No. 51 this time last year. She’s also the only archer on this list who isn’t an Olympic veteran.
Bryony Pitman of Great Britain competed in the Tokyo Games, making it to the third round of the individual category. Ranking No. 2 this year, she also had a significant rise in the ranking, coming up from No. 37 this time last year.
An San of Korea is currently ranked No. 3, and we’re sure she’s eager to defend her title. An made history at the Tokyo Games when she became the first archer to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games. Can she do it again? She’s certainly on target for it.
Choi Misun of Korea is currently only two points behind An. Choi won team gold at the 2016 Games and has accumulated 10 World Cup state wins, three World Cup final wins and one World Championship win. Could An and Choi be on the Korean women’s team? So far, it looks very possible.
Casey Kaufhold, the youngest member of Team USA at the Tokyo Games, is currently No. 5. She will certainly be looking to take another trip to the big stage.
Follow the Action
Will Kim and An have the chance to defend their gold medals? Will Bauer make her Olympic debut? Will Ellison go for a mind-blowing fifth Olympic Games? Follow the archers on social media for an inside look at what an Olympic year is like. Keep your eye on USA Archery’s social media, and the World Archery rankings to follow along on the road to Paris.
