Rodger WILLETT Jr. wins third World Cup stage in a row

  Compound Men Team   Bronze medal Final – Iran (4) v France (3) Iran was 3rd in Porec this year. In this match with France, the two teams tied in the first end, 58-58. Iran was lucky as one of their arrows was just on the line. The scores of the second and third ends were the same for both teams, 57s and 58s, maintaining the tie at 173-173. The final end was very intense: France started with 10-10-9 and Iran answered with 10-10-10. The French shot another series of 29 to conclude their match. The Iranians Majid GHEYDI, Amir KAZEMPOOR and Behzad PAKZAD matched those scores, just enough to win the match 232-231 and the bronze medal!   Gael PREVOST: Both teams shot a very good and tight match whose outcome was decided for just one point in the last end in favor of the Iranians.   Gold medal Final – USA (1) v Canada (2) The US archers won the previous two World Cup stages this year. They won the World Championships in Turin, where Canada won bronze. Canada had no less than two World Champions among their team members: Christopher PERKINS (2011) and Dietmar TRILLUS (2007).   This is a rematch of last year’s gold medal final. Then, the Canadian team lost to the USA 5-7. Shooting first, the Americans Braden GELLENTHIEN, Logan WILDE, and Reo WILDE scored 57 points to take a 1-point lead after the first end. They were perfect in the next one with 10-x10-x10-x10-x10-x10! The Canadians Christopher PERKINS, Simon ROUSSEAU, and Dietmar TRILLUS had a good end at 58 but still trailed by 3 points, 114-117. The scores of the third end were 59 for the USA and 58 for Canada, and the gap increased to 4 points. The US team concluded with two 9s and four 10s, while Canada shot three 9s and three 10s. Victory with 234-229 and gold medals for the USA!   Gael PREVOST: It was not easy to know who would be the winner before this match. The Americans won by 5 points, after increasing their lead end after end.   Compound Women Team   Bronze medal Final – Canada (5) v France (3) The French archers Joanna CHESSE, Pascale LEBECQUE, Patricia TCHEPIKOFF had poor scores in their first three arrows (8-7-7), for a total of 50 in the first end. Canada led 57-50. The gap increased after the second end, with scores of 54 for Canada and 52 for France. Finally the French girls went back to their usual level of shooting in the third end with 57 points, one point better than Canada. They bettered their performance again in the last end with 58 points, but it was too late. The Canadians Camille BOUFFARD-DEMERS, Dawn GROSZKO and Charlene PARLEE won 221-217.   Gael PREVOST: Even though the French archers lacked accuracy on their first two ends, they pulled themselves together in the last two ends but it wasn’t enough to reduce the gap that the Canadians had built in the beginning.   Gold medal Final – USA (1) v India (2) When these teams met in Shanghai 2010, the USA won 220-218. The USA recently became team world champions in Turin.   Today India suffered a bad first arrow (6) for a total of 52 in the first end. The Americans were better with 56 points, and repeated that score in the second end. India trailed 106-112 at the second. The gap between the teams grew bigger again in the third end: the USA shot two 9s and four 10s to lead 169-161. They went on to win the match by 10 points, 228-218. Gold medals for Erika ANSCHUTZ, Christie COLIN and Jamie VAN NATTA!   Gael PREVOST: The American women dominated this match on home soil from the beginning to the end.   Compound Mixed Team   Gold medal Final – USA (1) v Italy (2) These two Italian archers Sergio PAGNI/Marcella TONIOLI won the Mixed Team gold medal at the recent World Championships.   Here in Ogden, the Americans had great scores from the start, shooting 39 in each of the first two ends. Italy scored 37 points in each of those ends. Americans Braden GELLENTHIEN and Christie COLIN shot nothing but 10s for their last eight arrows and tied the world record (158 points) to defeat Italy by 7 points.   Gael PREVOST: The American archers left no chance to the Italians by increasing their lead end after end and tying the world record.  
Compound Women Individual   Bronze medal Final – Laura LONGO (ITA/9) v Parsamehr MAHTAB (IRI/7) MAHTAB, 22, won the gold medal in Porec this season and placed 4th at the World Championships. LONGO was a bronze medalist at the 2009 World Championships. This year she won a bronze medal at the Porec World Cup. These archers have already met in the previous two World Cup stages this year. In Porec, LONGO won in the quarterfinals (139-132) and in Antalya, also in the quarterfinals, MAHTAB won 147-142. The Iranian archer is the current leader of the World Cup ranking and will stay in the top spot no matter the result today. LONGO has the opportunity to advance to the 3rd or 4th rank depending if she wins or loses today.   Italy's Laura LONGO had a perfect start with 30 points in the first end, giving her an early 5-point lead over her opponent. In the second end, LONGO increased her lead by shooting 29 points, 2 more than MAHTAB. It was the Iranian archer's turn to shoot well in the third end, by recovering 1 point over LONGO (28-27). She recovered one more point in the fourth end (29 to 28). In the fifth and last end, the archers tied. Despite her weaker finish, the victory went to LONGO who had gained enough points in the first two ends.   Gael PREVOST: The Italian archer capitalized on the bad first end from her opponent to take 5 points, and then kept her advantage for the final win.   Gold medal Final – Erika ANSCHUTZ (USA/4) v Marcella TONIOLI (ITA/6) Erika ANSCHUTZ won the World Cup stage 1 in Porec this year. She also won the bronze medal at the recent World Championships, where TONIOLI placed 6th. This is a rematch of the World Championships quarterfinals. ANSCHUTZ won 147-142 on her way to the bronze medal.   Erika ANSCHUTZ had a weak start to this match with a total of only 53 points (26 and 27) after the first two ends. TONIOLI really capitalized on the situation and gained a 5-point lead. In the third end ANSCHUTZ managed to recover 1 point (28-27), then 2 more points in the fourth end (28-26). Before the last end TONIOLI had only a 2-point advantage, while her lead had been 5 points after the first two ends! In the fifth end, ANSCHUTZ shot three perfect arrows (30) and TONIOLI shot two 9s in her first two arrows. She needed a 10 in her last arrow to tie, and she did it! In the shoot-off ANSCHUTZ was up first and shot a 9. TONIOLI needed to shoot closer to the centre in order to win the match, and she shot an x10! The Italian won her first gold medal.   Gael PREVOST: Despite a good comeback by ANSCHUTZ at the end of the match, the archer from Italy was more consistent and won the match in a shoot-off x10 to 9.
Compound Men Individual   Bronze medal Final – Sergio PAGNI (ITA/4) v Reo WILDE (USA/3) PAGNI has won the World Cup Final in 2009 and 2010, and WILDE won the bronze in June at the World Championships. These archers met at the 2006 World Cup stage 3 in San Salvador. They tied at 118-118, and in the shoot-off, they both scored 10, but WILDE’s was closer to the centre. For both archers this match is a great occasion to gather more points towards qualification for the World Cup Finals.   PAGNI opened the match with a perfect series of 10-10-10 to take the lead 30-28. Both archers shot 29 points in the second end, moving the score to 59-57 for the Italian archer. In the third end, WILDE recovered one point over his opponent by shooting 29 to 28. In the fourth end, PAGNI shot a perfect 30. Reo WILDE started with two 10s but his third arrow landed in the 9 ring, just out of the 10 ring. In the last end WILDE shot a perfect 30 but PAGNI was already too far ahead for the American to come back. Victory with 146-145 and bronze medal for the Italian. PAGNI advanced to the 6th place of the World Cup ranking and WILDE to 3rd place.   Gael PREVOST: WILDE didn’t have a good start and PAGNI was too consistent to allow the American to come back. We find the two points difference from the beginning to the end.   Gold medal Final – Braden GELLETHIEN (USA/1) v Rodger WILLETT Jr. (USA/10) These archers won the 2007 World Championships team gold medal together. WILLETT is the winner of the previous two World Cup stages this year in Porec and Antalya. They already met last year here in semifinals, when GELLENTHIEN defeated WILLETT on his way to the gold medal.   GELLENTHIEN has a lot more at stake than WILLETT in this final: he is currently 10th in the World Cup ranking, while WILLETT is already qualified no matter what, thanks to his victories in Porec and Antalya.   In the first end Braden GELLENTHIEN had only 5 seconds to shoot his first arrow – an 8. GELLENTHIEN went on to score a total of 27 points in the first end, trying to recover after what happened with his first arrow. WILLETT had a good end at 29 points. In the second end, both archers shot the same scores (29 each). Motivated for a comeback, GELLENTHIEN shot a perfect 30 in the third end against 29 for his opponent. In doing so he recovered 1 point. In the fourth end it was WILLETT's turn to score his perfect 30 of the match, while GELLENTHIEN shot 29 points. In the fifth and final end, both archers shot 30 points, but WILLETT's advantage allowed him to win his third World Cup stage in a row! As for GELLENTHIEN, this silver medal allows him to move to the 3rd place of the World Cup ranking.   Gael PREVOST: GELLENTHIEN suffered from an error of the line Judge in his first arrow. It cost him 2 points that are still there at the end of the match. Nonetheless WILLETT shot very well to win his third straight gold medal in a World Cup stage.     This concludes the World Cup stage 3 in Ogden. See you in Shanghai for the stage 4 !   World Archery Communication