SHANGHAI, China - Following strong qualification at the 2018 World Cup season opener in Shanghai, USA archers were poised for success. Through several days of challenging head to head match play, and an impressive number shoot offs and close calls, USA stands to finish on the podium in individual, team and mixed team events.
In individual matches, Brady Ellison, Braden Gellenthien and Jamie Van Natta all went to one-arrow shoot offs in the semifinals. Ellison, who had won two shoot offs in the previous two matches, came out victorious yet again and earned a shot at gold. A win for Ellison in his final against Korea's Kim Woojin, will make him the first recurve man in history to win the Shanghai stage twice, having taken the title in 2012. Gellenthien and Van Natta will both shoot for bronze.
In the team events, the recurve women's squad of Khatuna Lorig, Mackenzie Brown and Erin Mickelberry made an impressive run, jumping from a 19th place seed to upset Georgia in a shoot off in round one, and then 3rd seed Russia in a shoot off in the 1/8th before falling to Germany in the quarterfinals. The recurve men and compound women's teams were also stopped in the quarterfinals.
Reigning world champions Braden Gellenthein and Kris Schaff were joined by one of the most decorated archers on the world cup circuit, Reo Wilde, to form the compound men's team. Facing frequent rivals in team Italy in the quarterfinal, the two teams went to a shoot off. With USA's victory and strong semifinal win over France, they earned a shot at gold against top seed Korea and will compete this Saturday for top honors.
Gellenthien and Van Natta coupled for the mixed team event with a top-two seed. After a nine-point margin win in the 1/8th for the U.S. duo, seventh seed India put up a fight in the quarterfinals, forcing a shoot off. Both teams scored perfect twenties, but India was declared the winner and advanced.
Meanwhile, Ellison and Lorig climbed from the eleventh seed to earn a shot at bronze. After upsetting India in a quarterfinal shoot off, the duo fell 6-2 to Turkey and will shoot against Indonesia in the finals this weekend.
Complete results from the competition can be found atwww.worldarchery.org. For photos and more from the event, follow USA Archery on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This weekend, the finals will be streamed live for U.S. viewers on the Olympic Channel.
Photo: World Archery
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