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USA fills Olympic pairs quota as two new countries qualify in Santiago

6 November 2023

Santiago, Chile

Real name:

Casey Kaufhold and Brady Ellison in Santiago.

The USA, Chile and Mexico collected recurve men‘s tickets to the next Olympics on the last day of competition at last week’s Pan American Games, joining Brazil and Colombia in winning quotas for Paris 2024 in Santiago.

Six spots were available in total and only five will be awarded at this time.

The USA was not eligible to add a second women’s spot, by winning the mixed team title in Chile, to the one Casey Kaufhold secured with her fourth place at this year’s world championships. That place will be retained in case of reallocation – and ultimately made available at the final qualifier should it not be used.

Kaufhold and Brady Ellison were excellent in the Pan Am Games final, opening with a perfect set – and closing with a 39 to beat Brazil in four.

The result decided the quota places in the men’s event even though the finals had not yet been shot, with only archers from the USA (Ellison and Jackson Mirich), Chile and Mexico remaining in the final four.

Countries can only win one individual space – or qualify a team of three – so Chile and Mexico took the slots.

Mirich would win Pan Am Games gold but with the mixed team event taking priority in the Olympic qualification procedure, the USA’s quota place is officially won by Ellison.

Two Olympic qualifiers remain on the schedule in 2023, continental events in Africa and Asia.