Bernal shocks world number one Becerra -

Mariana Bernal punished Andrea Becerra right at the death to become the 2025 World Cup champion in what was a gripping all-Mexican compound women finale.

In far from ideal conditions in Nanjing – shooting in the face of a westerly wind and a slight chill – both archers shot fantastically, obtaining perfect scores for the first three of five ends to leave it 90 apiece heading into the fourth set.

The recently crowned 2025 World champion Becerra extended her inch-perfect precision in the fourth end too whilst Mexican teammate Bernal’s last arrow of the set was the first nine of the match – astonishingly it took 24 arrows in the match for an arrow to land in the outer yellow ring.

That advantage looked like it would be another gold in the back pocket of Becerra considering she has won pretty much everything big in 2025 – Florida, Antalya [stage 1 and three], World Championships, Chengdu 2025 World Games – but consecutive nines in the last end and a 9, 10, 9 from Bernal set up the shoot-off [147-147].

The pair dropped 10s, but Florida bronze medallist Bernal struck the top of the all important X ring, Becerra’s a bottom liner on the 10.

“I’m feeling really happy, very blessed that life has given me this opportunity of representing Mexico on the highest level,” said the 22 year old compound women archer who couldn’t contain the streams of joyful tears on the field. “I’m just feeling really happy that all the hard work that I have put it has paid off.”

“A lot of the wind was really taking a lot of my nines and I was like, ‘It’s okay, just focus and be strong again.’ At the end, I was just focused on shooting a really good 10, I just saw the X-ring and I was like, ‘There… you have to shoot it and I did it.”

Becerra like in most competitions these days was the favourite to succeed at the Nanjing Olympic Museum but it must not be forgotten that Bernal has beaten her world teammate gold medallist already this year.

It too was a gold medal match at the Copa Merengue event in Dominican Republic back in June, ending at 147-142.

Primarily a continental Americas event, it was a lesser competition than the ultimatum of archery’s premier international circuit yes, but Bernal’s ability to overcome Becerra should never have been completely out of the question.

She’s proven to herself it can be done and that undoubtedly gave her a quiet confidence before heading on the stage.

As well as the wave of relief, pride and joy, Bernal’s emotions resemble the meaning of comeback. In 2023 – her previous season on the national team, the Mexican excruciatingly suffered bursitis – an inflammation of a fluid-filled sac that cushions the shoulder joint – an injury all archers dread.

“My tendons were really thin and they were broken,” she revealed. “There was a time where I couldn’t even hold a glass of water so, I had to go through a lot of therapy.”

“I went a lot to the gym and it was little by little because I literally started from zero so, being here, it’s just amazing and, winning? It’s a dream.”

Being at the top in sport is amazing but it’s how you get there that truly defines you as a world class athlete and a person.

Getting bronze in Florida, the 2018 Pan American Championships and then gold in Copa Merengue always suggested Bernal to be a more than capable shooter. But after a whirlwind couple of years, climbing on top of the podium in Nanjing today however painted her to be a fighter, not just an archer.

Becerra on the other hand was understandably upset post-medal ceremony but she too leaves the 2025 outdoor season with her head held high, to what she called the “best year of my life.”