DECATUR, Ala. – Qualifications wrapped up on the second day of the 2022 JOAD National Target Championship. Nearly 800 archers from around the country competed for top honors.
Top-seeded Laura Hughes, shooting U21 barebow scored 1174 setting the new world record. Hughes was able to break the previous record that had recently been set by Maggie Brensinger, who qualified second. Hughes shared, “I didn’t really know I broke the record at first. I’ve been working on archery for a while and getting over target panic, so it’s nice to finally see some results.”
Parker Gros shot strong among the fixed pins U15 division with a qualifying score of 1227, clear ahead of his competition. “This is our first outdoor tournament with USA Archery and it has been fantastic. Yesterday was a long day and we had to turn it around pretty quick, but that’s what archery is about – mental toughness – and Parker came through today,” commented Parker’s mother, Stacey Gros.
Sawyer Sullivan had a repeat performance after seeding first in 2021 and now 2022 with a 1404 in the U21 compound. “I came here because I wanted to practice for Buckeye and I miss shooting with my friends,” said Sullivan. “It’s really fun to come back to Alabama. Shooting under the lights last night was challenging, but a new experience, which made it exciting.”
Shooting U18 recurve, Akshara Vijay posted a score of 1148 to top the charts ahead of Maya Miller and Charvika Gopi. “My shots felt good, I was in the flow, and everything felt great. I definitely had some mental and physical challenges with the weather, but I’m happy that I was able to follow my mental process,” explained Vijay. “If you really love this sport, you commit – you have to put that effort in.”
Liko Arreola broke the double 50-meter U18 compound women's world record with 1401 after shooting a 702 yesterday and 699 in the second round of qualifications. The Hawaiian native is also celebrating her fifteenth birthday and ranking first in her division. “It’s pretty cool. My dad tells me to keep calm and stay focused, so I didn’t know I broke the record,” said Arreola.
Venugopal Kunnavakkam qualified first in U21 recurve with an impressive 1261. “I’ve been working a lot on my mental game – being less attached to where the arrow lands and focusing more on what I need to do to shoot a good shot.” Qualifying behind Kunnavakkam were Nathaniel Aud and Louis Yang.
Competition resumes tomorrow with eliminations and final rounds followed by the team round on Sunday. View the complete results and official photos on the USA Archery Smugmug. Follow USA Archery on Facebook and Instagram for more from the event. Join the conversation with #JOADNationals.
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