Madison Cox aiming to get back to the international circuit after golden debut in 2023

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT is presented by WIAWIS.

Madison Cox made her circuit debut last year by winning team gold in Antalya, but that promising performance was her only one so far.

“I was extremely happy with how my World Cup debut went, and it was so surreal to be there,” she said.

The coincidence of unfortunate circumstances left her with a single performance.

She withdrew from Shanghai and missed the stage in Medellin as the World Cup team travelled to Colombia to tune up for the Hyundai World Archery Championships in Berlin.

“Unfortunately, before the Paris World Cup, I dropped in our [national] rankings,” Cox explained briefly. “It was honestly bad luck. I should’ve gone to the first three World Cups, no doubt just unlucky circumstances.”

The wind wasn’t on her side, either.

“It was a very windy year at the USAT tournaments, which are the events we participate in to make the travel team.”

(The United States Archery Team Qualifier Series are outdoor archery tournaments open to archers who are seeking national competition experience and are held at different locations across country.)

Madison might have lacked a blast of luck, but no doubt she’s adequately motivated to step again at a big stage.

“I hope to regain my ranking and get back on the World Cup circuit as soon as I can,” the 22-year archer claimed.

Cox is eager to shoot again surrounded by top archers, as she’s already had a taste of it. 

“Shooting amongst the top archers in the world was truly amazing,” she said.

“I went to Santiago, Chile last fall and Colombia the year before for the Junior Pan Am Games and also shot alongside some of the best younger archers in the world.”

To bag a gold already in her first appearance in the circuit and missing out on the rest of the season could be painful.

“It was definitely a bit challenging mentally not to go to the rest of the World Cups after having a good performance at Antalya,” she admitted.

And boosting motivation, too.

“It only made me want to work harder to return to the World Cup circuit.”

The depth of the US squads forces newcomers to challenge renowned archers if they aim to break through into the international team.

“I find it both challenging and rewarding to be an archer on Team USA,” Cox claimed. ”We have some amazing archers, so it’s a privilege to be on this team and represent our country.

“It was great to shoot alongside the other fantastic archers from our country like Braden Gellenthien, who just retired, and Sawyer Sullivan.”

Madison sees it as a way to grow.

The fascination she felt in Antalya shooting alongside top archers increases her will to return there. 

“Being a part of this team pushes me to be a better archer,” she concluded.

“And the will to travel to the World Cups to represent the USA makes me want to be a better archer even more.”