Easton Shooters Sweep Olympics; 52 Years of Unbroken Summer Games Titles

A 52-year streak of Olympic success continued in Paris with Easton shooters capturing 30 of 30 medals awarded in the archery competition. Easton’s X10 shaft once again captured every Summer Games title, cementing its place as the most successful individual piece of equipment in any Summer Games sport.

With an epic finals battle for the men’s Gold Medal, the USA’s Brady Ellison and Korea’s Kim Woo-jin battled to the last millimeter, with both shooting a 10 in a tension-filled shoot-off. In the end, Kim won by a better of millimeters, with Ellison taking silver. Korea’s Lee Woo-seok took the men’s bronze.

Every medalist, and 123 shooters from 53 nations, used made-in-USA Easton X10 shafts.

Tabansky and Stutzman Become Paralympic Champions as Team USA Strikes Double Gold

Team USA’s Jason Tabansky and Matt Stutzman produced world-class performances to become champions in Paris.

Tabansky took gold in the W1 men open division, defeating the world No. 1 in the gold medal match. He had previously knocked out the world No. 2, and denied the defending champion a fifth straight medal at his fifth Paralympic Games en route to an emotional victory.

Tabansky, who only discovered at the end of June that he would be competing in France after Chris Davies of Australia was forced to withdraw through injury, certainly made the most of his opportunity.

He began at the 1/8 stage with a 137-122 win over world No. 2 Eugenio Santana Franco (Brazil), then faced David Drahonínský of Czech Republic. This was Drahonínský’s fifth Paralympic Games, and he had never failed to reach the final, winning gold in Beijing (2008) and Tokyo (2020), and silver in London (2012) and Rio (2016).

Tabansky stepped up another gear, winning 139-131, setting a semifinal against the Italian archer Paolo Tonon. As he had done in previous rounds, Tabansky started steadily and grew into the match, with his opponent fading. The 41-year-old from Texas triumphed 136-115, setting up a gold medal showdown with world No. 1 Han Guifei (China), who had beaten the top-ranked Zhang Tianxin in the semifinals.

Han led 81-79 after three ends, at which point Tabansky seemed to find the next level, enjoying a two-point swing to head into the final end leading 107-106. That one point advantage became a two point difference after the first arrow from each archer. Tabansky then opened the door a touch with an uncharacteristic seven, and the lead was cut to one, before confirming the win and the gold with a 10!

The W1 men’s Paralympic champion said, “The seven was like, ‘Oh no, I popped that up’. Now we kept it interesting; we’re giving these people a show.

“I looked at Jonathan (Clemins) and let him know it was my fault, and that I didn’t need to fix my sight. Honestly, I then remember loading my arrow, hooking my release, drawing back and then screaming. I don’t remember the shot. All I could think of was put this pin in the gold and punch this thing.

Landing that 10 and feeling the rush and that it’s finally over, I did it … you have to experience it. It’s hard to explain but I was just thankful for everybody that’s had a piece of this journey with me, from family and friends to technical coaches, manufacturers, everybody.

“I’m really, really happy to be able to represent in the right way.”

But Tabansky was only in Paris after Davies was forced to withdraw, and that was not lost on the American.

“I want to say that this one’s also for Chris Davies,” Tabansky said. “He got hurt, and he wasn’t able to be here. I always told myself that if he sacrificed his spot, then I’m going to make it count, it’s going to be for something.

“This is not just I’ve got a slot and I’m going to take a picture and say that I’ve been there. I was here to perform, and thankful to God that I was able to make it all the way to the end and have a gold medal around my neck.

Showman Matt Stutzman wowed the crowd with a masterclass on his way to the top of the podium, defying the odds in adding gold to the silver he won in London 12 years ago. Stutzman has said this will be his fourth and final Paralympic Games and he leaves a champion, incidentally just days after suggesting he was retiring because, “‘I’m just not as good as I used to be.”

Try telling that to the field he dismantled, including the man who beat him in London in 2012, Jere Forsberg. Forsberg was the first match up for Stutzman on Sunday morning and the 1/8 round contest required a shootoff to determine the outcome. Forsberg, behind his mirrored sunglasses, face unmoved, put his arrow in the 10. Stutzman, with minimal room for error, delivered his about as dead center as you could get.

Cheered on by family and friends, and with the wind in his sails, Stutzman reached a gold medal meeting with Chinese archer Ai Xinliang. It took a new Paralympic record of 149 – beating the previous best of 148 set in Tokyo by He Zihao – for Stutzman to go out as Paralympic champion!

“Here's what was going through my mind," Stutzman said. "One arrow at a time, and it was my plan to just enjoy the moment.

"I can't explain it. Having the whole crowd behind me made me feel at home. Once I started shooting that match against MacQueen, my jitters just went away and all of a sudden I found my stroke.

I was so confident, I brought just one bow, no backup and if you look at the strings on that bow, they've been on there since Tokyo, and they're pretty messed up.

"But this is why I've got to retire. You can't top this. You'll never top this. When I stood on the podium, I couldn't believe I was there."

STAN Announces New Addition to Leadership Team

Stan Outdoors, a leading manufacturer of high-performance archery release aids, recently welcomed Dan Jasa to its leadership team as director of sales and marketing. Jasa has more than a decade of experience in the archery industry and developing initiatives to increase customer satisfaction and growth.

As both an experienced competitive archer and an avid bowhunter, Jasa brings a unique understanding of Stan Outdoors customers. This strategic hire will further the company’s ability to expand its customer base and continue to accelerate growth.

“Stan Outdoors has been manufacturing high-performance archery products for over 50 years,” said Stan Outdoors President Eric Springer. “At STAN, we are focused not only on providing the best products in their class, but also assuring that the customer feels connected to our company. Dan’s experiences across the target and hunting markets align with our customer goals and company vision. I’m looking forward to the impact he will have at Stan Outdoors by enhancing our responsiveness to current and future customers.

“In this role, Dan will be leading our sales team and be responsible for developing and overseeing product-led sales strategies, and enhancing customer satisfaction at all levels.”

“I am beyond excited to be joining the STAN family,” Jasa said. “I have used their release aids extensively over my years competing and hunting, so I know their quality is second to none.

“As the archery community has evolved, meeting the challenges of connecting with customers has evolved with it. I’m looking forward to bringing my experience in the industry to help the team grow our brand and further develop relationships at all levels.”

Marolina Outdoor Hires New CEO

Marolina Outdoor, the parent company of Huk Performance Fishing and Nomad Outdoor, recently announced the hiring of Nate Smith as chief executive officer.

Smith brings to Marolina 20 years of executive leadership and outstanding performance in consumer-branded omnichannel organizations in apparel, footwear and accessories. He has a proven track record of successfully building and repositioning brands and developing omnichannel retail strategies.

Smith has held senior executive roles at brands such as Patagonia and Oakley and, most recently, was president at Boardriders, a holding company consisting of several large global brands, including Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, RVCA, DC Shoes, and Element Brand.

Earlier in his career, Smith received a B.S. in political science from the United States Naval Academy, and later went on to serve 10 years as a U.S. Navy SEAL, where he worked in more than 25 countries. Smith also graduated with an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Edwin Lewis, chairman of Marolina’s board of directors, said, “We are incredibly excited to have Nate join the Marolina team. The leadership skills he developed in service to this country, combined with his extensive experience working with iconic brands, makes Nate uniquely qualified to lead Marolina in the next phase of its growth.”

“I am very excited to be joining Marolina Outdoor, a company with an amazingly talented team and a proven formula for success,” Smith said. “As someone who appreciates the passionate communities, cultures and lifestyles the Huk and Nomad brands represent, I am eager to dive in with the team and develop a growth strategy that continues to exceed the performance apparel needs of fishing and hunting enthusiasts.”