The mixed team archery competition at Paris 2024 – its second outing as an Olympic event – brought plenty of memorable moments, highlighting teamwork, precision and composure under pressure.
On 2 August, set against the historic backdrop of Les Invalides, the competition saw pairs from around the world deliver impressive performances, close matches and some unexpected upsets.
Join us looking back at five of the most memorable mixed team moments that stood out in Paris.
5. Mexico’s fiery spirit
On paper, Mexico had a dream pairing of Alejandra Valencia and the youthful Matias Grande.
Their first round match, demolishing Brazil Marcus D’Almeida and Ana Luiza Sliachticas Caetano 5-1, got us wondering if this would be their moment.
Consistent ends of 37, 38 and 38 in the last eight would quite be not be enough against a rock-solid Germany, but Mexico showed class and depth on mixed team day.
It followed, of course, a bronze medal from the women’s team on 28 July – a fifth of Mexico’s entire Olympic medal tally, and another outstanding performance.
4. Resilient Japan
In one of the highlights of the morning, Satsuki Noda and Junya Nakanishi pushed aside the much-fancied Turkish pairing of Mete Gazoz and Elif Gokkir, displaying that underrated quality in head-to-head archery competition: refusing to lose.
They were perhaps unlucky against the USA, and were the only other team apart from Korea to produce a 40 past the first round.
While Japan would leave Paris without an archery medal, it would be the mixed team who came closest to taking one home.
3. Korea vs Chinese Taipei
Eventual winners Korea’s hardest match of all was the first one of the morning, getting past an aggressively performing Chinese Taipei, who were not keen to add to the long list of international losses against their greatest rivals.
A fourth set 40 from Lei Chien-Ying and Tai Yu-Hsuan pushed the Korean ‘dream team’ pairing of Lim Sihyeon and Kim Woojin to produce their best work – also a 40.
But it would be the last time that day the Korean pairing faced a serious test.
2. Germany’s silver
It was – characteristically – not a loud and dramatic medal from Florian Unruh and Michelle Kroppen, more a tribute to consistency and concentration over three rounds.
After edging out Colombia first thing, ends of 38, 38 and 39 were enough to see off Mexico and 38, 38, 37 and 39 sent the USA to the bronze match and guaranteed them a silver, with Florian seemingly gluing his arrows to the 10-ring.
In the end, they really didn’t take it to Korea, losing in straight sets in a not-really-classic final, but it was a deserved silver against top class opposition – and a second Olympic medal in two Games for Michelle.
1. USA’s triumphant moment
Casey Kaufhold‘s first Olympic medal – and Brady Ellison‘s fourth – really showed the very best of the format. Ellison was performing exceptionally throughout – a foreshadowing of the men’s final to come – and seemed to be dragging Casey along insistently towards the podium.
The battle for bronze between the USA and India seemed on paper like it could go either way, but it quickly became clear that India lacked the edge, with Ankita Bhakat‘s shaky opening arrows in the first two sets setting an uneasy tone.
Yet, the nerves that had rattled Kaufhold in the previous day’s individual eliminations hadn’t fully faded. At 4-0 up, she delivered a bad eight, but shot just strongly enough under immense pressure in the last end to grab the bronze.
In the end, they put on a show of (almost) the very best they can produce, and no-one who watched will forget Casey’s last arrow; the moment when you saw control – and frustration – explode into joy.
