MEDELLIN, Colombia – To cap an impressive start for the U.S. team at the first world cup of the season, Brady Ellison guaranteed two podium finishes today, earning spots in the individual and mixed team gold finals.
Both matches against strong opponents from Korea, World Archery commented that we are seeing “a leaner, hungrier – and seemingly better – version of the Brady that has found so much success at the international level for so long.”
On his way to the gold final, Ellison shot an absolutely incredible semifinal match against the Netherlands’ Sjef van den Berg. Dropping just six points between the two of them over five sets, Ellison took the win 6-4 and shared: “That was one of the best recurve matches I’ve ever seen. Honestly, if that would have gone the other way, and with the scores that we shot I still would have been okay, because that was just a hell of a match. But yes, I’m very excited that I was on the upper end of it.”
Shooting for the stage title against Lee Woo Seok, with a one-one record in head to head from 2018, the match promised intrigue. Additionally, the last time Ellison won a stage of the circuit was here in Medellin in 2016. With automatic qualification for the World Cup Final on the line for the winner, Ellison’s race to be the first to five Final titles is heating up.
Ellison opened the match strong with a 29, held consistent, and with a perfect 30 in the third set, he led 5-1. After two more arrows, Ellison needed to close with a 10 to win and he smoked the center of the target, taking the gold victory, and a guaranteed spot in the Final, letting out the famed “Brady Roar”.
In the mixed team event, a new addition to the 2020 Olympic Program, Ellison teamed up with 15-year-old Casey Kaufhold – the current top U.S. recurve women’s shooter in her world cup debut.
The U.S. duo opened with a 38 to take the first set by one point, then dipped, giving Korea the second set by one point. A few errant arrows on each side with tricky wind conditions had the two teams split the next two sets, all at 36 points each, and with a 4-4 draw, the match went to a shoot off. Both teams scored a solid 19/20, but it was Korea’s 10 that was closer to the center to take the win.
Complete results from the competition are available at www.worldarchery.org.
Photo and information attributed to World Archery.
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