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Athlete of the Week: Miranda LEEK (USA)
Lausanne – 13 October 2011
Miranda LEEK, 18 years old, is one of the best up-and-coming archers in the United States. She has been chasing the Olympic Dream and has got her first Olympic experience at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. In Antalya this year, she won the first-ever U.S. recurve World Cup silver medal with teammates Jennifer NICHOLS and Khatuna LORIG. After the London Archery Classic, LEEK will compete at the Pan American Games in Mexico next week.
Now ranked 36th in the world, LEEK was introduced into archery at age five, when her father decided to take her shooting with him one day. She earned several local and national championships in compound, before switching to recurve in 2006 and started competing in international tournaments two years later.
In 2009, LEEK finished 5th of the Cadet World Championships taking place in her home country, in Ogden. Just after that, she won two gold medals (individual and team) at the El Salvador Olympic Archery Festival. The young American represented the United States at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore 2010 where she finished 9th.
The year 2011 had her burst out on the world's scene. At the U.S. Trials she made the three-member 2011 world championships recurve team, beating out older, more experienced rivals. Making the team was just the start. A few weeks later, at the World Cup stage in Antalya, Turkey, the U.S. team—LEEK, Jennifer NICHOLS, Khatuna LORIG—stormed through the tournament to take the first-ever U.S. recurve World Cup silver medal, falling to Korea in the gold medal match.
At the Turin World Championships in July, the promising American finished two times at 9th place, in the individual and team events, and again at the Legnica Junior World Championships that followed in August. Just before the event in Poland, she won her first World Cup gold medal at the Ogden stage, where she paired up with the world No. 1 male archer Brady ELLISON in mixed team. (photo below)
The young LEEK then took part in the London Archery Classic,a test event for the London 2012 Olympic Games, in the first week of October. On the iconic venue of Lord's Cricket Ground she had notable wins, knocking out Italy's Natalia VALEEVA in 1/16 the round and Korea's HAN Gyeonghee in 1/8 before she herself was eliminated by the world No. 1 and upcoming winner JUNG Dasomi (KOR) in quarterfinals.After London LEEK will be a member of the U.S. Team competing at the Pan American Games in Mexico next week.
Biography Extract:
Miranda LEEK (USA) – Born 18 May 1993 8th Individual Olympic Test Event London 2011 7th Team Olympic Test Event London 2011 9th Individual Junior World Championships Legnica 2011 9th Team Junior World Championships Legnica 2011 6th Mixed Team Junior World Championships Legnica 2011 9th Individual World Cup Stage Ogden 2011 4th Team World Cup Stage Ogden 2011 1st Mixed Team World Cup Stage Ogden 2011 9th Individual World Championships Turin 2011 9th Team World Championships Turin 2011 2nd Team World Cup Stage Antalya 2011 1st Team Arizona Cup Phoenix 2011 2nd Team World Ranking Event Medellin 2010 9th Individual Youth Olympic Games Singapore 2010 1st Individual El Salvador Olympic Archery Festival 2009 1st Team El Salvador Olympic Archery Festival 2009 7th Individual Cadet World Championships Ogden 2009 5th Team Cadet World Championships Ogden 2009 11th Team Cadet World Championships Antalya 2008
Find more information on Miranda LEEK (and all other archers) at the World Archery website and on her Facebook page.
World Archery Communication
Miranda LEEK, 18 years old, is one of the best up-and-coming archers in the United States. She has been chasing the Olympic Dream and has got her first Olympic experience at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. In Antalya this year, she won the first-ever U.S. recurve World Cup silver medal with teammates Jennifer NICHOLS and Khatuna LORIG. After the London Archery Classic, LEEK will compete at the Pan American Games in Mexico next week.
Now ranked 36th in the world, LEEK was introduced into archery at age five, when her father decided to take her shooting with him one day. She earned several local and national championships in compound, before switching to recurve in 2006 and started competing in international tournaments two years later.
In 2009, LEEK finished 5th of the Cadet World Championships taking place in her home country, in Ogden. Just after that, she won two gold medals (individual and team) at the El Salvador Olympic Archery Festival. The young American represented the United States at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore 2010 where she finished 9th.
The year 2011 had her burst out on the world's scene. At the U.S. Trials she made the three-member 2011 world championships recurve team, beating out older, more experienced rivals. Making the team was just the start. A few weeks later, at the World Cup stage in Antalya, Turkey, the U.S. team—LEEK, Jennifer NICHOLS, Khatuna LORIG—stormed through the tournament to take the first-ever U.S. recurve World Cup silver medal, falling to Korea in the gold medal match.
At the Turin World Championships in July, the promising American finished two times at 9th place, in the individual and team events, and again at the Legnica Junior World Championships that followed in August. Just before the event in Poland, she won her first World Cup gold medal at the Ogden stage, where she paired up with the world No. 1 male archer Brady ELLISON in mixed team. (photo below)
The young LEEK then took part in the London Archery Classic,a test event for the London 2012 Olympic Games, in the first week of October. On the iconic venue of Lord's Cricket Ground she had notable wins, knocking out Italy's Natalia VALEEVA in 1/16 the round and Korea's HAN Gyeonghee in 1/8 before she herself was eliminated by the world No. 1 and upcoming winner JUNG Dasomi (KOR) in quarterfinals.After London LEEK will be a member of the U.S. Team competing at the Pan American Games in Mexico next week.
Biography Extract:
Miranda LEEK (USA) – Born 18 May 1993 8th Individual Olympic Test Event London 2011 7th Team Olympic Test Event London 2011 9th Individual Junior World Championships Legnica 2011 9th Team Junior World Championships Legnica 2011 6th Mixed Team Junior World Championships Legnica 2011 9th Individual World Cup Stage Ogden 2011 4th Team World Cup Stage Ogden 2011 1st Mixed Team World Cup Stage Ogden 2011 9th Individual World Championships Turin 2011 9th Team World Championships Turin 2011 2nd Team World Cup Stage Antalya 2011 1st Team Arizona Cup Phoenix 2011 2nd Team World Ranking Event Medellin 2010 9th Individual Youth Olympic Games Singapore 2010 1st Individual El Salvador Olympic Archery Festival 2009 1st Team El Salvador Olympic Archery Festival 2009 7th Individual Cadet World Championships Ogden 2009 5th Team Cadet World Championships Ogden 2009 11th Team Cadet World Championships Antalya 2008
Find more information on Miranda LEEK (and all other archers) at the World Archery website and on her Facebook page.
World Archery Communication
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