It is the world number one’s first pole position at a World Cup this year and his second at 50 metres internationally in 2026 – the 2026 European Outdoor Championships being the other.
“Never, ever,” said the 2023 World Cup Final champion as he and the rest of the athletes trudged back to the buses. “I even asked Martin Damsbo, my teammate, because he’s shot at all the World Cups, and he said it’s never, ever happened, so I guess it’s a first.”
“I laughed and said it might be the lowest winning qualification score ever. It’s kind of funny. I felt like I shot really well in the first 36 arrows, so that was nice.”
“It was a little bit tricky with the wind and, of course, the extreme heat. I managed it pretty well, and so did Damsbo, my teammate. I think we handled it pretty well, and Tanja [Gellenthien] did too, so that was awesome to see.”
“It was the right decision. There was lightning, so we wanted to stay safe, of course. Safety first.”
Colombia’s Sara Lopez – who is bidding for World Cup Final gold number 10 in Saltillo this September – is the top seed in the compound women’s competition, just over a week after winning silver at the Tlaxcala 2026 Pan American Championships.
“This is the first time in my whole life that this has happened,” said the great Lopez, whose pole today (353) was her first at an international competition since the Iguazu 2024 World Ranking Event. “But I don’t want to be like, ‘Oh, it doesn’t count.’ No… it counts.”
“I was so ready to continue the competition. It was really weird because we were just scoring and then we heard this weird noise, almost like a truck coming, and it was shocking because I was here for a week and we had the most perfect days the whole week, and then rain.”
As action in Madrid ended early, it means the 1/48 elimination rounds have been pushed back to tomorrow morning before the compound team eliminations and recurve qualifications in the evening.
