China claimed men's team recurve gold with victory over Canada ©World Archery

China powered past a resilient Canadian side to take men’s team recurve gold at the Aquece Rio International Archery Challenge, which doubles as a test event for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The fourth-seeded Chinese trio, made up of Xing Yu, Gu Xuesong and Yong Zhiwei produced a classy display in the final, securing the title beating the Canadians 6-0.

They needed only three short sets to claim gold as they took the first 52-50 before moving to within one of victory thanks to a narrow 54-53 win in the second.

The resounding success for China was complete when they won the third set 54-52, completing a commanding display throughout the competition as they dropped just two sets on their way to topping the podium.

Despite the defeat, the silver medal for Canada represents a marked improvement on the international stage and team member Hamilton Nguyen hopes this can be the start of a period of success for his nation.

“My last shot was a nine so I’m pretty happy I got that corrected - but it was just a little too late,” he said.

“Crispin [Duenas] has two Olympic Games, Jay [Lyon] has ’08 under his belt, so I think just the experience alone carries me.

“I think it’s our first international medal as a team so this is only the first of many building blocks to come, especially in preparation for Rio 2016.”

Canada's silver medal represents a marked improvement on the international stage and they are hoping they can build on their performance at Rio 2016
Canada's silver medal represents a marked improvement on the international stage and they are hoping they can build on their performance at Rio 2016 ©World Archery

In the bronze medal match, the Dutch team of Rick van der Ven, Sjef van den Berg and Jan van Tongeren recovered from 3-1 down to oust Chinese Taipei, seeded third, 5-3.

"It’s always better to have three guys out there instead of one," Van der Ven said.

"It makes it easier to shoot the entire week and it helps us to stay motivated.

"I have a good time with them.

"It’s looking good right now, but there are still five or six guys that can make the team for next year, so we’ll see who will be here.”

The event in Rio continues tomorrow with individual matches.



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