Estonian archer Reena Pärnat reaches cup final in Turkey

Archer Reena Pärnat finished second in qualification in the women's recurve category at the ongoing Conquest Cup in Istanbul, Turkey, going on to reach the final, still to take place.
Pärnat scored 657 points, placing second among 44 women in qualification.
Pärnat, a three-time Olympian, said: "I don't have many international competitions planned before the World Championships this season. So I already knew coming here that I had to give my best in every situation. It wasn't easy – the competition field was between buildings and the wind was swirling. Still, I feel I managed the conditions well."
Her qualification result gave her a bye from the first round. In the round of 32, she faced Turkish archer Hansa Fatma Ogurlu, defeating her 7:1. This set her up with a round of 16 showdown against another Turkish archer, Zeynep Köse, winning a clean 6:0, and in the quarterfinals, she defeated Bulgarian Dobromira Danailova 7:1. This pattern continued in the semifinals where she took another clean win – 6:0 against Moldovan Alexandra Mirca.
Pärnat's form in Turkey would have put her in the top 10 in the men's recurve division, where 63 competitors took part, as well.
The Estonian had completed qualification behind Nurinisso Makhmudova (neutral flag), who scored 660 points: It is Makhmudova who Pärnat will face in the final.
Recurve bows are more traditional in appearance than compound bows, the latter of which use pulleys and cables to lessen the force needed to hold at full draw.
Pärnat is one of several Estonian archers to meet with success lately: Robin Jäätma set a new domestic record at the Estonian cup competition held in Järvakandi at the weekend, Meeri-Marita Paas took gold in the women's compound in Slovenia, and both she and Lisell Jäätma, sister of Robin, have both secured spots for the Estonian women's team at the World Games in Chengdu, China this August
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Editor: Maarja Värv, Andrew Whyte