Reigning Vegas Shoot Champion Kyle Douglas has successfully defended his title in 2021 and become only the third person in history to win back-to-back crowns at the world-famous tournament.
Terry Ragsdale was the first in 1978-79, followed by Chance Beaubouef in 2003-04.
“Knowing that I’ve done it once, it’s a little easier to do it again,” Douglas casually told Competition Archery Media’s Greg White after the shootdown. “This one’s different. Last year, we were down in the arena, a lot bigger crowd, a lot bigger deal. It’s still the same tournament, still the same pressure, but you don’t feel it quite as much.”
The postponed championship events took place on 15-17 April at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Although the event was held in the venue’s ballrooms rather than the large eventing arena, the pressure remained high as many of the best compound archers from across the USA – and the world – shot their 90 arrows with sights on that perfect 900.
(Vegas uses National Field Archery Association, rather than World Archery, rules with the four-centimetre recurve 10-ring also scoring 10 points for compounders.)
Fifteen archers made the sudden-death compound open championship shootdown, plus lucky dog Steve Marsh.
After nine arrows, only three remained. The rest had missed a 10 over the first three ends. Cody Lippencott dropped a nine in end four – leaving just Richard Bowen and the reigning champion on the line.
Four ends later, the event long having moved to the small, two-centimetre 10-ring, Bowen put one out by a hair’s width. Douglas drilled another perfect 30 and collected his second career, and second straight, title at this prestigious competition.
Despite the gravity of the double-win, possibly the most exciting news from Vegas came a few hours earlier.
Liko Arreola won the compound women’s championship at the age of just 13, becoming only the seventh female archer in history to shoot a perfect 900-point round at the tournament. It’s an astonishing achievement and surely heralds an exciting future for the young archer.
Wins in the recurve championship categories went to Brady Ellison (897) and Olivia Hale (812), while the barebow title was won by Richard Stark (855). Vegas also ran a month-long virtual event for the amateur flights prior to the in-person championships.
Picture and quote via Competition Archery Media.
