Ogden, Utah - There was no shortage of talent on the field at the Ogden World Cup today, as archers began mixed team and team eliminations this afternoon. Under a hot sun and changing weather conditions, surrounded by beautiful mountain vistas, archers shot to defend current titles and claim new ones as the final days of this event draw near.
Mixed Team Recurve:
The afternoon began with mixed team eliminations, and the young recurve team of Miranda Leek (IA/USA) and Brady Ellison (AZ/USA) opened with a 1/8 round win over the team from Switzerland, Nathalie Dielen and Axel Muller, 148-121. The team then advanced to face Mexico in the quarterfinals; however, the pair of Alejandra Valencio and Luiz Velez Sanchez were no match for the Americans, who won with a 16 point lead, 156-140. In the semifinals, it was a matchup between the U.S. and Italy, always a strong contender in any match. Michele Frangili and Natalia Valeeva, perhaps one of the most experienced pairs on the field, were still not quite able to edge out the U.S. team, who shot a 150 to Italy's 147, securing a spot in tomorrow's gold medal match versus India. Today, Italy went on to the bronze medal match, where they faced Dmytro Hrachov and Nina Mylchenko of Ukraine, who scored a strong 150 to win the bronze medal.
Mixed Team Compound:
For the compound mixed team, it was a matchup between the U.S. team of Christie Colin (PA/USA) and Braden Gellenthien (VA/USA) versus Partrick Coghlan and Deb Nicholson of Australia in the quarterfinals. The U.S. shot a 156 to win the match, advancing to the semis and a meeting with Martin Damsbo and Camilla Soemod of Denmark. In the semifinals, it was a strong 158 point score from the U.S. that took the match, giving them a berth to the gold medal final against Italy on Saturday. With their semifinal score of 152, Denmark earned a spot in the bronze medal contest, where they met Pierre Deloche and Pascale Lebecque of France; ultimately, it was a bronze medal victory for Denmark, 154-151.
Women's Compound:
It was literlaly a world record day for the U.S. compound women's team of Erika Anschutz (TX/USA), Christie Colin and Jamie Van Natta (OH/USA), who started out with a solid 233-221 quarterfinal victory over the team of Aimee Deaves, Sherry Gale and Deb Nicholson of Australia. Advancing to face Canada in the semifinals, the U.S. ladies did not miss a beat, shooting a 236 to win the match and break the previous record of 234. The Canadian team of Camille Bouffard-Demers, Dawn Groszko and Charlene Parlee will face the team from France on Saturday for the bronze medal match, while the U.S. women will meet Jhano Hansdah, Gangandeep Kaur and Manjudha Soy of India in their quest for the gold. Surprises in the compound women's quarterfinals included the elimination of the teams from Iran and Belgium, considered strong contenders for spots in the medal matches.
Men's Compound:
The team of Braden Gellenthien (VA/USA), Logan Wilde (UT/USA) and Reo Wilde (ID/USA) were byed into the quarterfinals, where they first encountered the Mexican team fo Julio Fierro, Jaime Hafid and David Montiel. It was a ten point victory for the U.S. men with a 238-228 win. They then advanced to the semifinals, meeting the Iranian team of Majid Gheydi, Amir Kazempoor and Behzad Pakzad. The U.S. team took an initial lead and maintained it, ending the match with a 234-232 victory that ensured their spot in Saturday's gold medal final, where they will face the team from Canada. In the bronze medal match, it will be a meeting between Iran and France.
Women's Recurve:
Miranda Leek (IA/USA), Jennifer Nichols (TX/USA) and Khatuna Lorig (CA/USA) were determined to have another placement in the finals, following their silver medal perforrmance at the second World Cup stage in Antalya. Ranked number one from qualifications, the U.S. team first faced the team of Ana Bayardo, Aida Roman and Alejandra Valencia from Mexico, in the quarterfinals. With a close 220-219 victory, the U.S. women advanced to meet the team from Ukraine in the semifinals. Nina Mylchenko, Kateryna Palekha and Kateryna Yavorska proved difficult for Team USA to stop, posting a 218 to USA's 217 to clinch their spot in the gold medal match. The U.S. team, still determined, will meet China in their quest for the bronze medal.
Men's Recurve:
During practice, it was overheard that the U.S. recurve men weren't just shooting for a seat in the gold medal match - they were also shooting for a new world record. The team opened wth a 226-221 quarterfinal win over the team from Mexico, featuring Juan Rene Serrano, Luis Velez Sanchez and Pedro Vivas Alcala. Advancing to the semifinals, the U.S. followed their female counterparts in coming up against the Ukranian team, shooting against Dmytro Hrachov, Viktor Ruban and Markiyan Ivashko. However, the men were able to hold off their opponents, posting a 229-226 semifinal win for Team USA and earning a spot in the gold medal final versus China. For the bronze medal match, it will be a meeting between the Ukrainian and Indian teams.
The competition continues with finals Friday and Saturday night from Lindquist Field, which will be broadcast live on ESPN3: http://espn.go.com/espn3/index/_/sport/outdoors. USA Archery will be reporting live from the event, with updates posted to Twitter and photo albums posted to Facebook. The U.S. team is supported by a full staff at this event, including National Head Coach KiSik Lee, Coaches Mel Nichols and Doug Ludwig, and Team Leader Cindy Bevilacqua. USA Archery thanks the Easton Foundations and the U.S. Olympic Committee for their support of the compound and recurve teams at this event. For live scoring, visit http://www.archery.org; for complete information on this event, visit http://www.ogdenwc.com.
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