USA and Colombia guarantee women’s Olympic places by making pairs final in Lima
The USA and Colombia are guaranteed to receive women’s quota places for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after recurve mixed teams from the two nations made the gold medal match at the 2019 Pan American Games.
“I got my place and I’m so happy. That was the idea, to win the place,” said an emotional Ana Maria Rendon. “We can’t deny there aren’t nerves but I think we are doing a great job.”
There are four Olympic places available in Lima.
One man and one woman’s spot will be given to the winner of the mixed team competition. Then one place in each gender will be awarded to the highest finishing athlete not already qualified in the individual events.
The final four in the recurve women’s competition is made up of Rendon, Casey Kaufhold and Khatuna Lorig of the USA, and Mexico’s Alejandra Valencia.
Valencia already qualified an Olympic place at the world championships – meaning whichever team doesn’t win the mixed team gold is guaranteed the individual spot.
The mixed team final will set the course for the men’s qualification picture as well. The USA already has a men’s spot thanks to Brady Ellison’s world title.
So if the USA takes mixed team gold in Lima then that men’s spot is added to the individual event instead. There are two athletes from Brazil and two from Canada remaining in the recurve men’s competition – and both countries would qualify one space before shooting a single arrow in their finals matches.
“As good as Casey is shooting right now, my job is pretty easy,” said Ellison. “I just kind of hung back today and let her do her thing.”
The new world record holder might be out of the race for individual gold at these Pan American Games. But how he shoots during recurve finals on Sunday will still have a huge impact.
“I’m excited for this gold medal match and I think we are going to do really well,” said Kaufhold. “I’m really glad that we’ve paired up for this. I know we’ll do amazing.”
Compound finals take place in the afternoon on Saturday 10 August and recurve finals all day on Sunday 11 August in Lima.
The archery competitions at the 2019 Pan American Games take place on 6-11 August in Lima, Peru.
