United States win first recurve team world title in thirty years

Men
Brady ELLISON concluded a disappointing 2013 season by leading the United States to its first recurve team world title since 1983. Second at the last World Cup event, the Americans faced the young European champions from the Netherlands, who had defeated them twice in their last two encounters and edged out n°1 Korea on Thursday. In a tight gold medal match, Rick VAN DER VEN, Sjef VAN DEN BERG and Rick VAN DEN OEVER had a one point lead at the halfway mark, but only found the 10 once in the second half. Meanwhile, Americans ELLISON, Jake KAMINSKI and Joe FANCHIN increased their total by 6 points, for a 214-211 victory. It adds to the Olympic team silver medal won last summer by ELLISON and KAMINSKI.

“A lot of people have doubted the US team”, said ELLISON. “To get into the gold medal match and almost win gold at the Games – and then we come here, where we have tough conditions, get to the finals and into the gold medal match... and then win it. It’s big for us.”

France upset world n°1 Korea in a fantastic men’s bronze medal match that tasted like a final. After a shaky start, both teams performed in a festival of 10s, matching each other in the second and third ends. Olympic gold medallists IM Dong-Hyun and OH Jin Hyek, with 18-year-old LEE Seungyun, led by one point going into the final three arrows.

Concluding with 9-8-10, Korea opened the door for France. With 29 points needed for the win, “we were hungry, we knew that we could not afford a mistake, we could afford only one 9 in the worst case”, said Gaël PREVOST. “When we saw the results of the last three Korean arrows, we thought it was now or never”, added Jean-Charles VALLADONT.

After PREVOST scored that feared 9 with the first arrow, Thomas FAUCHERON and Jean-Charles VALLADONT were left under pressure to deliver two 10s to win – and they did it, amid loud cheers of the French ladies. “It was a magic moment”, described FAUCHERON, competing in his first World Championships. “Personally, I had never lived this before; beating Korea as a team with this atmosphere is unbelievable.”

It was the first victory in this century for France over Korea in a world event - and a sweet win for France, who lost the gold medal match to Korea in the previous two World Championships.

Leaving without a recurve men’s team medal is a major setback for Korea, whose archers won gold at all three World Cup stages they entered this year, and were the top three qualifiers in this event. It also means a world crown that Korea have held since 2001 goes to a new home, and is the first time since 1987 that the Korean team leave the World Championships without a medal in the recurve men's team event.

Women
Korea's female athletes, ranked world n°1 and top qualifiers at this World Championships, managed to recover gold today - after Italy's winning run in 2011 - with a victory over Belarus in the final. The team of Olympic gold medallists KI Bo Bae and YUN Ok Hee, and newcomer CHANG Hye Jin, only shot four 10s - low for a Korean women's team - but it was still enough to outscore Belarus by six points (212-206). With a surprise silver medal, Hanna MARUSAVA, Ekaterina TIMOFEYEVA and Alena TOLKACH won the first ever World Archery Championships medal for independent Belarus.

The Danish team of Carina CHRISTIANSEN, individual finalist Maja JAGER and Anne Marie LAURSEN repeated the bronze performance they had at this year's Wroclaw World Cup. They trailed initially in the bronze medal match, and overcoming two 7s in the first end to defeat an experienced Mexican team (Olympic medallists Aída ROMAND and Aida ROMAN, and Alejandra VALENCIA), 216-212. It is Denmark's first World Championships medal in this category.

“We’re a relatively new team shooting together – so we’re just making our way in the world, against some of the more-established teams out there”, said the Danish archers. “It’s pretty awesome to know we’re now number 3 in the world. Even though we knew we were the underdogs, we have believed we could win all the way!”

World Archery Communication

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