Bold prediction
Whilst Ellison may be the only one in Saltillo who knows what winning that coveted trophy and CHF 30,000 feels like, there are seven others who are still searching for the sensation, two of whom have come as close as you possibly could.
These are the other elder statesmen, if you will, of the list in France’s Jean-Charles Valladont – 37 years old – and Italy’s Mauro Nespoli – 38 years old.
Funnily enough, Nespoli’s sole experience as one of the last two recurve men standing was at the Moscow 2019 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final against Ellison, where the US archer defeated him 6-2.
The last time these two met, though, the Italian got the better of the world number two at the Hermosillo 2023 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final – returning the favour with a 6-2 win of his own – so it is not a guarantee that Moscow will be repeated.
2026 has also been a marked improvement for Nespoli from last season, with a higher arrow average, a 78 per cent win percentage compared to 2025’s 33 per cent, and three individual medals with silvers at the 14th Conquest Cup, the European Outdoor Championships and the Hyundai Archery World Cup in Madrid. In 2025, he didn’t find himself on any international podium individually at 70 metres.
Both he and Valladont will also be heading into Saltillo fresh, with neither having competed at the Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games. They are actually two of the replacements for Li Mengqi – the Shanghai 2026 Hyundai Archery World Cup winner – Tang Chih-Chun and Kim Je Deok, who are busying themselves with the Asian Games, with Türkiye’s Berkim Tumer the third substitute.
Japan’s Junya Nakanishi and India’s Dhiraj Bommadevara, though, will still be going to the international circuit’s ultimatum despite also going to Aichi-Nagoya just two weeks after Saltillo ends.
The latter has had arguably his best season to date due to his victory at the Antalya 2026 Hyundai Archery World Cup, which booked him onto his third World Cup Final.
It was the first time the 24-year-old athlete climbed the top podium at any stage he’s competed at, and the tears at the end of beating Lee Woo Seok would never have come out of someone who hasn’t worked hard to get to this level of the sport, but also his family.
He very emotionally credited his mother in particular in the post-match interview for pawning jewellery just so he could be helped with equipment costs in his first years as an archer, and winning what would be his biggest accolade would be even more special for him than his unforgettable day in Türkiye in June.
Mete Gazoz – the Berlin 2023 Hyundai World Archery Championships, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and Essen 2024 European Archery champion – is another obvious name not to ignore, especially considering the World Cup trophy is the only major he is yet to claim.
