YANKTON, South Dakota - Team elimination matches at World Archery Indoor Championships today saw all four U.S. compound teams earn spots in the gold medal matches. The recurve junior men also scored their way to the bronze final and picked up the first U.S. medal of the event.
Ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd individually and solidly 1st as a team, the U.S. compound men's squad of Jesse Broadwater, Tate Morgan and Kris Schaff shot strong through today's matches. Broadwater shared that there was never any doubt they would make it to the gold final. Confident, he commented: "We practiced well this morning and shot well in our first match. Kris and Tate are quick shots and they're good shots, so we don't have to worry about timing, so we were just keeping an eye on the Italian team and I think they only dropped two points during their two matches, so it's going to be a tough match but I think we can handle it. We're going for a 240 to match the world record."
The compound senior women had a bye into the semifinals, ranked 2nd from qualification. Paige Pearce Gore and Breanna Theodore were joined by teammate Mary Hamm. Hamm, who is the first woman in archery history to shoot a 1400 and a Vegas 900, made a recent return to competitive archery. "It feels fantastic," commented Hamm. "The competition was really pretty close. Mexico was ahead of us for three out of four ends, but we pulled out the win at the end. We have a good team and we stayed focused and positive."
For Hamm, competing on the finals stage will be a first as the sport has grown significantly since her prime successes: "We've never had a big, fancy stage before, so that will be new for me. This is the part I missed so I'm excited to be back."
Compound junior Anna Scarbrough will also be competing on the big stage for the first time as she makes her Team USA debut in the gold final with teammates Cassidy Cox and Athena Caiopoulos. On today's match, she shared: "It was awesome, the competition was a lot of fun, a little nerve-wracking, but a lot of fun. I was just trying to shoot a smooth shot and do what I do, and not freak out too much."
Compound junior men Curtis Broadnax and Ethan Charles King, who sealed spots in the individual gold final, teamed up with Zac Harris in today's matches to also earn a spot at the team world champion title. Up 14 points over the rest of the field in qualification, a 234-230 victory over Denmark sealed their spot for the medal matches with the highest score in the bracket.
The recurve junior men's team of Adam Heidt, who will shoot for individual bronze, Trenton Cowles and Seth McWherter had a bye into the semifinals where a hard fought match sent them to the bronze final against top seed, Russia. In three straight sets, USA dominated a 5-1 decision with 58, 58 and 57.
Competition resumes tomorrow with the recurve finals where Heidt will shoot for bronze on the big stage. Follow live results at www.worldarchery.org. For more, follow USA Archery on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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