1st win on year for USA compound pair as final stage concludes

The third-seeded mixed team from the USA defeated fourth-ranked Denmark for the compound mixed team gold medal on Saturday at the fourth and last stage of the 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Berlin, Germany.

“This is the first time I’ve been able to shoot a mixed team with Kris and I think we just worked really well together and we were able to pick each other up when the other one struggled and it paid off,” said Paige Pearce Gore.

Competition partner Kris Schaff added: “Today we backed each other up as a team should.”

It’s the first medal of the season for a US compound pair, although Pearce Gore also won gold in Berlin in the mixed event with Braden Gellenthien in 2017.

In 2018, she and Schaff trailed world number one Stephan Hansen and Tanja Jensen by two after the first end, 39-37. They reversed the situation with a perfect second end.

Leading by two, 116-114, with one end left to shoot, the US held on to the lead as Denmark posted a perfect closing series, to win 155-154.

Indian archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam added a second medal on the day after a silver with the women's team.

Seeded eighth in the mixed event with teammate Abhishek Verma, she won the bronze medal with a victory over second seed Turkey by three points, 156-153.

The fourth stage of the 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup takes place in Berlin, Germany on 16 to 22 July.