Canadian men and USA women win Pan American Games recurve team titles

The recurve team titles at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima went to Canada and the USA. The Canadian men beat Chile in a shoot-off – and the USA women dispatched Mexico in a dramatic four-set final.

Casey Kaufhold suffered an equipment failure before her first arrow.

The extended on her V-bar broke and she shot her first two arrows without any stabilisation. The first went high in the four – but then, for the second, she aimed low and got a 10.

“It’s very hard to pull back a bow because the stabiliser weights counter the draw weight. It felt like I was drawing so much weight it went high,” explained Casey.

“So I just knew that next arrow, if I wouldn’t have time to put bars back on, I would just aim low. And it was a 10. That was the one that got us the first point and probably saved us the match.”

The bow was reassembled before the second set, which the USA won before the Mexican women shot 58 points to level the match at 3-3.

Kaufhold, Khatuna Lorig and Erin Mickelberry shot 56 in the last set as Mariana Avitia, Aida Roman and Alejandra Valencia faltered, totalling just 48 points. The Pan Amerian Games title went to the USA.

“I could not be happier. I have great teammates and it’s a great team,” said Khatuna, impressed with her 15-year-old teammate’s cool head in the crazy first set. “In 30 years of experience, this is something I’ve never seen, how she handled that.”

Colombia beat Brazil in three sets, 5-1, to win bronze.

The recurve men’s team final was between Canada’s Crispin Duenas, Brian Maxwell and Eric Peters and Ricardo Soto, Andres Aguilar and Juan Painevil of Chile.

After winning the first two sets, it looked like Canada would take a quick gold. Needing a nine to win the match in the third, Duenas shot an eight. Chile surged back in the fourth to force the shoot-off.

The Chilean team shot three eights in the tiebreak. Canada put down a nine, then an eight – and then Crispin shot a 10 to close the account.

“I don’t know what I can say about that shot. It was everything I train for and it came together so I’m happy,” said Crispin.

Brady Ellison, Thomas Stanwood and Jack Williams of the USA took the bronze medal over Mexico, 5-3.

The archery competitions at the 2019 Pan American Games take place on 6-11 August in Lima, Peru.