Easton Shooters Dominate First World Cup Event of 2022
The season opener for the 2022 World Archery Hyundai World Cup kicked off on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in Antalya, Turkey. Easton shooters took gold medals in men’s compound, men’s recurve, and women’s recurve.
With top recurve and compound target shooters from across the globe looking for early season momentum, well-known competitors such as Brady Ellison and Olympic Champion Mete Gazoz were joined by compound standouts like “Mister Perfect” Mike Schloesser, with stiff competition from plenty of other talented archers.
In compound, Mike Schloesser scored 148/150 to take the gold medal - his seventh in World Cup stage competition- and used Easton X10 arrows to tame the notoriously tricky Turkish shore winds. In 2021, Mike was the top qualifier and finished with a medal in all three Hyundai Archery World Cup stages. At the first event of 2022, he did it again, qualifying as the No. 1 seed and then following it up with gold in elimination matches.
"It’s very important to start off at the right pace for the season," Schloesser said. "I’ve been putting a lot of hard work in and seeing it pay off definitely means a lot. The level I shot today was way more than I did in the elimination matches, and I was happy to see that level come out today. I always want to defend my title and to get that ticket to the finals in Mexico at the first stage is very relieving and satisfying.”
Recurve Sunday saw fresh faces on top of World Cup podiums. Great Britain’s Bryony Pitman took her first gold at the World Cup with a shoot-off victory, adding individual gold to her team haul of mixed team gold, and team gold, earlier in the event.
Spanish star Miguel Alvarino, the 2015 World Cup Grand Champion, topped Team USA’s Brady Ellison in the semifinals, before taking the win over silver medalist Ryan Tyack of Australia. Brady Ellison took the bronze, with every recurve finalist sporting the Easton X10 arrow shaft.
The next stop for the World Cup takes place in mid-May, in Gwangju, South Korea. Every stage winner at the Hyundai Archery World Cup receives automatic qualification for the season-ending World Cup finals in Mexico this October.
Mission Crossbows Sweeps ASA Pro/Am
Mission Crossbows shooters had a strong showing during the ASA Pro/Am in Camp Minden, Louisiana, sweeping the Crossbow class. Jason Wilkins took home first-place, while teammates Daniel Zintgraff and Dylan Burg finished second and third, respectively. All three were shooting the Mission Sub-1 crossbow.
Dan McCarthy Takes First Place in Men’s Open Pro
Team Mathews secured another six podium spots in Camp Minden, Louisiana, at the recent ASA Pro/Am, with Dan McCarthy continuing his dominance.
“The momentum we have built this season is incredible,” said Mathew’s Pro Staff Manager Derek Phillips. “The TRX series is performing flawlessly, and everyone seems to be in the zone. The second half of this target season is going to be a fun one to follow.”
Dan McCarthy (below, center) placed first in the Men’s Open Pro for the third time this season. Teammate Levi Morgan claimed third place in his 2022 ASA debut. Kailey Johnston secured second in Women’s Open Pro, with teammate Emily McCarthy following in third. Remington Boyer and Justin Hannah claimed second and third, respectively, in Men’s Known Pro.
USA Archery Names Compound Lineup for 2022 World Games
The 2022 World Games are coming to Birmingham, Alabama, on July 7-17, 2022, and an anticipated 3,600 athletes representing over 100 countries will be in attendance. The World Games, held only every four years, primarily showcases sports and disciplines not featured in the Olympic and Paralympic Games; the archery competition welcomes compound target archers as well as recurve and barebow field archers.
As the host nation, USA Archery will field a full roster of compound and para compound open athletes. USA Archery sent archers to competitions around the globe last year to ensure it qualified a full slate of quota places for this prestigious multi-sport event. Often considered the Olympics for compound archery, the World Games could be the next step toward compound inclusion on the Olympic Program.
Following the Arizona Cup recently in Phoenix, Arizona, USA Archery announced a talented lineup for this year’s World Games.
Paige Pearce and Linda Ochoa-Anderson will represent the USA compound women, and James Lutz and Braden Gellenthien will compete in the men’s event. All four have earned many world titles and are currently among the top ranked in the world.
“As of today, this is the closest thing to the Olympics that compound archery has and I’m incredibly stoked to be representing the USA at this event,” Gellenthien said. “I got my first taste of the ‘Olympic atmosphere’ in Peru at the Pan American Games back in 2019 and it definitely added a level of excitement and buzz that I hadn’t experienced up to that point.”
2019 World Para Champion Benjamin Thompson will shoot in the para compound open men’s event, and Wendy Gardner will shoot in the para women’s competition.
For recurve and barebow team selection, the U.S. team trials will be held on May 11-14 in Yankton, South Dakota, in conjunction with USA Archery Field Nationals.
Tickets are available for purchasefor those interested in attending the 2022 World Games.
