Hawaiian 15-year-old Arreola breaks onto US team for worlds
Two-time Vegas Shoot Champion Liko Arreola, who recently set a new under-18 qualifying record with 705, has made her first US national team at the age of 15.
Her breakout performance at the major indoor tournament came in the pandemic-delayed year of 2021, when she shot her first perfect indoor round, before repeating that feat against a full-strength field in 2022.
The Hawaiian youngster will now take her talents abroad, competing alongside former world number one Alexis Ruiz and newcomer Olivia Dean in the USA compound women’s line-up at this August’s Hyundai World Archery Championships in Berlin, Germany.
Sawyer Sullivan, Kris Schaff and 2019 World Archery Champion James Lutz will complete the US compound roster.
Casey Kaufhold, who was runner-up on home soil in Yankton at the last world championships, leads the recurve women’s team. Kaufhold, Jennifer Mucino and Catalina Gnoriega will look to book the States an early ticket to the next Olympic Games at the event.
Nineteen-year-old Kaufhold has already collected an international podium in 2023, winning the mixed team event at the season opener with Brady Ellison.
Ellison is one of two familiar names headlining the three recurve men announced for Germany.
After a down year in 2022, the five-time Hyundai Archery World Cup Champion – who is back up to number two in the latest edition of the Sanlida World Archery Rankings – and established teammate Jack Williams are joined by Jackson Mirich for the biggest event of the 22-year-old’s young career.
Mirich has two career appearances at stages of the Hyundai Archery World Cup on his record - but nothing of this magnitude.
Recurve teams competing at the 2023 Hyundai World Archery Championships must finish on the podium in Germany to secure one of the three first quota places for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Should either of the US squads medal, it would be a stark improvement from the last Olympic cycle when both squads booked spots at the last-chance qualifier.
Trials concluded at the Gator Cup in Florida in early May.
USA team for Berlin 2023
- Recurve men: Brady Ellison, Jack Williams and Jackson Mirich.
- Recurve women: Casey Kaufhold, Jennifer Mucino and Catalina Gnoriega.
- Compound men: Sawyer Sullivan, Kris Schaff and James Lutz.
- Compound women: Liko Arreola, Alexis Ruiz and Olivia Dean.
