Valladont: Technique will not decide match with Brady

The individual silver and bronze medallists from Rio 2016, Brady Ellison and Jean-Charles Valladont are set to go head-to-head in the headline match on recurve Sunday in Antalya.

Brady, who qualified in first place at the second stage of the 2017 Hyundai Archery World Cup despite jet lag, wasn't seriously troubled until his semifinal against young Frenchman Thomas Chirault, who quickly went 4-0 up on the experienced American. 

“I never think it’s over until it’s 6-0,” Brady joked afterwards. “I never get really too worried, and a 4-0 never scares me; 5-1 is a little iffy, because you can shoot a 30 and still lose, but 4-0? Nah. Doesn’t make you pucker too much!”

Brady's incredible form recently has been marked by a change of attitude as well as great results:

“I don't look forward to winning that gold medal match. Now it's the experience. I like being on the podium, in the top four. When I was younger it was more like ’if you're not first, you're last’. As I get older it's less about getting to every single podium. Now I’m thinking my career is about getting on TV. If I can get on TV, in a TV match, getting my brand out there, I’ve done my job."   

Valladont, the second seed, dropped just two set points on his way to the final, posting 21 10s through matchplay. 

“My shooting has been very good. I spent 15 days just working on a very special part of my technique, the line between my shoulders and the balance of the body. It was good to get out of the stress of competition and just focus on one thing,” said JC.

“It's the big match between me and Brady, and technique will not be what decides who wins. It will be who pulls the best out of themselves for the match.”

The pair met in Dublin at the 2016 World Archery Field Championships, which Brady won, but you have to go back to 2010 to see the last time the two met in target competition, at the World Cup stage in Porec in Croatia. 

There, Brady beat Jean-Charles in a shoot-off in the semifinal, going on to win the gold. 

“A long time ago, but yes, he won,” admitted the Frenchman. “Revenge!” He laughed. 

In the women’s competition, Lin Shih-Chia of Chinese Taipei survived three shoot-offs, the last against teammate Le Chien-Ying, to make a final with Russia’s Ksenia Perova.

“The hardest one was against Deepika Kumari because she's so famous and she's ranked so high,” said Lin. “I’ve practiced many shoot-offs against Chien-Ying though, and we're about 50/50.”

It will be Shih-Chia's first individual Hyundai Archery World Cup stage final – and this despite the fact that she actually qualified fourth of the formidable Chinese Taipei recurve women, and will not be part of the team that also shoots for gold on Sunday.

Ksenia Perova, for her part, shoots for an individual medal for the second World Cup stage in a row. 

Ana Maria Rendon, shooting at her 21st Hyundai Archery World Cup event, makes the finals for the first time since Medellin 2013, when she placed fourth, and will shoot for bronze against Le Chien-Ying.

The second stage of the 2017 Hyundai Archery World Cup runs 6 to 11 June in Antalya, Turkey.

People
Competitions