Denisse van Lamoen

After returning to competitive archery only a couple of years earlier, Van Lamoen earned an unexpected world title in 2011. The veteran Chilean archer will try to add an Olympic medal to her resume in her second Summer Games appearance. A year ago, Van Lamoen emerged from the qualification round at the world championships with the 36th seed. However, she went on to upset four higher-seeded archers, including No. 3 Fang Yuting of China in the semifinals, before defeating 39th-seeded Kristine Esebua of Georgia for the title. That win gave her Chile's first world title in an Olympic sport. As a 19-year-old, Van Lamoen won a silver at the 1999 Pan Am Games before becoming the first Chilean archer to participate in the Olympics one year later, finishing 52nd. She didn't compete in Athens and Beijing after failing a doping test in 2002, instead deciding to study law. Chile's reigning athlete of the year is expected to earn her degree sometime in 2013.