Compound teams set two new world records!

Danny BUTTON, Bridger DEATON and Alex WIFLER - who all struggled in individual eliminations this morning - booked their USA junior team a ticket to the gold medal match this afternoon. One new world record for the trio - for top team qualification score ever - was not enough: they broke the head-to-head record, too.

After beating Russia in the quarter-finals, they faced n°4 seed Great Britain in the semis - who owed their spot there to a shoot-off victory over Belgium. The American team started with a perfect 60, and only dropped two arrows out of the 10 over the next three ends. The 238-231 victory etched them in history, as they shot the highest 24-arrow match score at 50m by a compound junior men’s team ever. It also gives them a chance to climb back up to the top of the podium in this category, after the country settled for bronze in 2011.

It is a logical progression for Danny BUTTON and Bridger DEATON - who were cadet team gold medallists two years ago, at a time when WIFLER shot recurve rather than compound (photo). It is WIFLER’s third medal opportunity: he is also shooting for individual bronze and mixed team gold.

The United States will face neighbour and n°2 seed Mexico in the final. Mario CARDOSO, Adolfo MEDINA and David MONTIEL won their semi-final over third-ranked India thanks to a better final end, to finish the match 233-231. India’s individual finalists Rajat CHAUHAN and Jignas CHITTIBOMMA, and Sudhakar Kumar PASWAN, will shoot against Great Britain - Jordan MITCHELL, Jake BURN and Jonathan BULL - in the team bronze medal match.

Canada produced the surprise of the afternoon in the men’s cadet category. After upsetting n°4 seed Russia in the quarter-finals, Hunter McGINNIS, Logan KUPCHANKO and Tyler MURPHY held strong against their next obstacle, top-seeded Mexico. They built a large gap in the second and third ends - and kept enough of that advantage to win the match 230-228, despite two 8s in the final end. Canada will face the second-seeded team in the final: Turkey.

Furkan DERNEKLI, Baris TANDOGAN and Samet Can YAKALI did not choose an easy route towards the gold. The Turkish team led n°7 seed and tough opponent Italy before the final six arrows, but the Italians recovered and forced a shoot-off. The perfect time for DERNEKLI, TANDOGAN and YAKALI to release 10, 10... 10 - and advance to the semi-finals, which was actually a rematch of the 2011 final.

Two years ago, Turkey lost this match. In 2013, they led from beginning to end. American archers Chris BEE, Tyson Walker PRUITTE and Justin DIXON were relegated to shoot for bronze, where they will face Mexicans Ricardo GONZALEZ, Rodolfo GONZALEZ and Cecilio QUEVEDO.

In the junior women’s category, the top four seeded teams all made it to the semi-finals. Defending silver medallist Russia set a sensational new world record in the quarter-final: 228 points. Mariia VINOGRADOVA, Anna LEMEZA and Elena ELIZAROVA then beat n°2 Mexico, and qualified for the final.

Their opponents will be the United States, comprising individual bronze medal finalists Kailey JOHNSTON and Paige PEARCE, and Lexi JELLER. In their own semi-final, the Americans trailed India after two ends, but three 8s from the Asian archers handed the USA the win, 225-221. It will be a third medal match for JOHNSTON, who has a shot at the mixed team gold as well as that individual bronze.

Mexicans Stephanie Sarai SALINAS, Yahaira CORONA and Katya Sofia RODRIGUEZ will contest bronze with Jyothi Surekha VENNAM, Jayalakshmi SARIKONDA and Swati DUDHWAL of India.

The top four cadet women’s teams were reunited in the semi-finals, too: with Russia and the defending-champion United States emerging as gold medal candidates. Returning USA triple-gold medallist Emily FISCHER, as well as individual finalists Sonia TANIGUCHI and Danielle REYNOLDS, seeded n°1, defeated Mexico (n°4) in the semi-finals, 223-220.

Meanwhile the n°2 seeded Russian team of Sofia KHLYSTOVA Ekaterina MAKEEVA and Alexandra SAVENKOVA (main photo) beat n°3 ranked Great Britain in their semi-final. It is the third shot at gold for top individual qualifier SAVENKOVA, who has made it to all three possible finals.

Mexico’s Ali Citlalli CASTILLO, Abril LOPEZ and Fernanda DEL ROCIO - also shooting for mixed team bronze - will face British sisters Kirsten and Aalin Elisse GEORGE, and Rebecca LENNON, in the bronze medal match.

Competition continues tomorrow with the Youth Olympic Games qualification tournament in the morning and recurve team eliminations all the way to semi-finals in the afternoon.

World Archery Communication