Archer Meeri-Marita Paas takes gold, tests techniques in Slovenia

Estonian archer Meeri-Marita Paas took gold in the women's compound event at the Veronica's Cup competition, held last weekend in Kamnik, Slovenia.
Paas, ranked top in Estonia, used the tournament to test new equipment setups ahead of upcoming world cup stages, including June's event in Antalya, Turkey, where Olympic-format rule changes will be trialed for the first time.
Post competition, Paas said: "I approached this competition more as a chance to test technique: I tried different setups, played around with the bow a lot and tried to find what works best under competition pressure. The matches weren't easy and gave a good picture of what works and what still needs fine-tuning. Although the result was very good, I feel there's still a bit of tinkering needed with the bow before the next competition."
In the qualification round, Paas shot 693 points, earning her the sixth seed from the field of 34 women. This performance advanced her directly to the next round, where she defeated the 27th-seeded Eowyn Mamalias (Iceland) 145:137.
From there, Paas progressed confidently through each stage of the tournament, winning 142:140 against Slovak archer Livia Orihelova (seeded 11th) in the round of 16, then beating Spain's Paula Morillas Diaz (seeded 3rd) 164:145 in the quarterfinals, then dispatching second seed Amanda Mlinaric (Croatia) in the semis, 148:146.
This set her up with a final encounter with another Spanish archer, Alexa Olivares Misis, also the top seed from qualification. Misis took an early lead in the first series, 30:27, but Paas responded strongly and ultimately secured victory with a bottom line score of 145:142.
Paas was the only Estonian to compete in Slovenia.
She is coached by her Italian partner David Pasqualucci, who also competed placing sixth out of 57 in the men's compound category.
Looking ahead, Paas' next competition is in Antalya, June 3–8, a World Cup stage. She will be joined by fellow Estonians and brother and sister duo Lisell and Robin Jäätma.
New rules are being introduced in light of the inclusion of compound mixed team events at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Two major changes will be trialed: First, the number of arrows allowed in qualification will be cut from 72 to 60; second, the inner ten ring will now count for 11 points instead of 10.
Paas said she was eager to take on the challenge. "I want to have a strong competition. Antalya will be interesting – we'll see how it goes with the new rules."
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Henrik Laever, Andrew Whyte