MADRID, Spain – Stage #4 of the Hyundai Archery World Cup concluded in the Spanish capital on Sunday with the familiar faces of recurve team trio Catalina GNoriega, Casey Kaufhold and Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez securing silver.
The three elite archers, all of whom represented the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, were 11th seeds heading into eliminations but toppled Great Britain (6th seed), India (3) and Chinese Taipei (7) before their quest for gold was halted by top seeds Korea.
Being the final stage of the Archery World Cup, the battle was on in the individual competition to finish strong and push for a place at the World Cup Final, which will be in Saltillo, Mexico from September 12-13.
Brady Ellison had already made sure of a 15th World Cup Final appearance following his win in recurve men during Stage #1 in Puebla, Mexico in April. The top eight men and women, in both recurve and compound, will take to the stage in Saltillo later in the year.
Alexis Ruiz (compound women) will join Ellison in Mexico, making it a fourth appearance at the World Cup Final for the 26-year-old.
Ellison last year claimed a recurve men’s record sixth World Cup Final title with victory over Marcus D’Almeida (BRA) in Nanjing, China. It was his first such success since 2019, adding to the wins he enjoyed in 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2016.
Ruiz finished fifth in the rankings after this year’s four World Cup stages. Her campaign included bronze at Stage #2 in China, where she was also the top seed after qualification. The U.S. archer is set to compete at a third consecutive World Cup Final, having first featured in 2019, the year she topped the world rankings.
Both Ellison and Ruiz have other matters in mind prior to the World Cup Final, starting with the Rebel Gear Buckeye Classic, which starts in Dublin, Ohio with Team Rounds on Thursday. Ellison is the defending champion. Ruiz was top seed in 2025.
Both will then feature at next month’s USAT Series Final in Springfield, Mo., which takes place immediately prior to the 142nd USA Archery Target Nationals and 2026 U.S. Open.
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