CHICAGO, Ill. – Having reclaimed his number one ranking with gold at last month’s World Archery Para Championships in the Czech Republic, Kevin Mather is back on home soil for a world ranking event in Chicago.
Mather is one of 34 archers from the USA competing over the coming days in the 2023 Chicago Para-Archery Championship, which has attracted a total of 68 athletes and 54 officials from 11 nations.
Hosted by North Side Archery Club, competition got underway on Friday morning at the Dunbar Park complex, just west of Lake Michigan.
There will be an all-USA gold medal match on Sunday in the compound men open, as Kevin Polish and Andre Shelby fought through their semifinals. Polish put paid to Go Sung Kil (KOR), with Shelby seeing off teammate Douglas Godfrey. Godfrey walked away with bronze after success on Friday afternoon over Go Sung Kil.
In the compound women open, both Martha Chavez and Alexandria Allen went out at the quarterfinal stage.
Candice Caesar will shoot for the gold medal on Sunday afternoon in the recurve women open, against Kim Ran Sook (KOR). Caesar beat teammate Karen Sternfeld in her opening match of eliminations, then defeated top seed Cathia Valdez (MEX) to book her place in Sunday’s showdown.
Mather, with a score of 611, finished as fifth seed after qualification in the recurve men open, followed by teammate Michael Lukow (593) in sixth. The world number one, though, was halted at the quarterfinal round by Kim Kanghun of Korea, to finish sixth.
Lukow departed a round earlier, defeated by Marco Antonio Huaytalla Perez (PER). Korean archers also got the better of Jordan White and Jose Alzati at the 1/8th round. Frank Galea went out to Samuel Molina of Mexico.
Jason Tabansky collected bronze in the men W1 open, overcoming top seed Park Hong Jo (KOR) 131-129. Tracy Otto will tackle Kim Ok Geum (KOR) on Sunday in the gold medal match of the women W1 open.
Day two will bring us team competition. The USA takes on Mexico in the recurve men open doubles, with Mather and Lukow taking the lead. Caesar and Sternfeld combine to face Korea in the semifinals of the recurve women open doubles.
Caesar and Mather come together in the recurve combined doubles on Saturday, with Mexico the semifinal opposition. Korea awaits the winner.
Tabansky and Lucas Herro will battle Brazil for gold in the men W1 doubles on Saturday afternoon. Tabansky and Otto go for gold against Korea in the W1 mixed team.
As top seeds, Shelby and Godfrey face Mexico or Korea in the gold medal match of the compound men open doubles. Wendy Gardner and Catalina Bustamante meet Mexico in the final of the compound women doubles open. Gardner and Shelby partner in the compound open mixed team, with their semifinal opposition being Peru.
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