Albuquerque teen breaking records in archery
by: Karla Sosa
Posted: Sep 21, 2023 / 06:10 AM MDT
Updated: Sep 21, 2023 / 07:48 AM MDT
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – An Albuquerque teen is making a name for herself in the world of archery. At just 17-years-old Francesca Benavidez is already breaking records in a sport she started playing only nine month ago.
Benavidez is a senor at the Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science and is part of the National Archery in the Schools Program. Just a few weeks after picking up the sport she was already making a name for herself at the 2023 USA Archery JOAD Indoor Nationals hosted in Albuquerque. “I was like ok I’ll shoot it, lets see how it goes and over there I ended up beating everyone at our state and like our region. And then I ended up placing second in the whole nation which was really exciting for U-18,” said Benavidez.
Her record breaking didn’t just stop there fast forward to July when she broke a world record for a 50 meter double round while competing in Pennsylvania. She practices almost everyday at the Sandia Crest Bowhunters Association in the East Mountains. The outdoor practice helps to redefine her skills while helping her improve on her technique especially.
Benavidez has fallen in love with archery and is already thinking about her future in the sport. “We’ll be making my transition to Olympic Recurve as well as staying in barebow so then one day maybe 2028 in LA I’ll go to the Olympics,” said Benavidez. This weekend Benavidez will be traveling to Colorado to compete in their state championship for fun.