The Michoacan athlete Samuel Molina was awarded as the Best Archer in America 2024 in the Open Men's Recurve category. This recognition comes after an outstanding year in which he established himself as the second best archer in the world ranking and participated in the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.
Regarding this distinction, Molina expressed: "Being named the best archer on the American continent is a great pride for me. We want to arrive complete and with a new mindset to achieve it."
After his participation in Paris 2024, where he was eliminated in the round of 16, Molina has started a new preparatory cycle towards the Los Angeles 2028 Games. The 43-year-old athlete broke the record during the World Qualification Tournament in Dubai early last year, which motivated him to continue training with determination.
Currently, Molina is preparing for his participation in the national archery selection, which will take place in March in Tlaxcala. During 2024, the Mexican earned 650 points, surpassing the previous record of 644 points set in 2017 by Michael Lukow of the United States.
At the Parapan American Archery Camp in São Paulo, Molina stood out by defeating Colombian Héctor Ramírez and securing the gold medal. Despite his elimination in Paris 2024, where he was defeated by Australian Taymon Kenton-Smith, the Michoacan athlete entered the Paralympic Games as the second-best archer in the world.
For his outstanding performance in 2024, Olympic medalist Alejandra Valencia, in the Women's Recurve category, and Matías Grande, Pan American Runner-Up, in Men's Recurve Under-21, also received awards from World Archery Americas.
