The headline match of the morning session on compound Saturday at the Archery World Cup in Wroclaw saw two of the best compound men’s teams in the world face off for a stage gold medal.
“Our matches with the USA are always really tight,” said Martin Damsbo, and this tilt was no exception.
Through the first three ends of the match, neither team dipped below a 58-point total for its six arrows – out of a possible 60. The only thing to split the two was the first series: USA started with a 59, Denmark with a 58.
At 18 arrows, Reo Wilde, Steve Anderson and Braden Gellenthien still led the Danes by that single point.
Patrick Laursen stepped up first, for Denmark, and put in a 10. World Archery Champion Stephan Hansen followed, and matched him, then Damsbo did the same tightening the screws on the States’ boys’ advantage.
Second up for the USA, after Gellenthien put in a nine, Anderson’s arrow drifted wide.
“It was going pretty well until I shot that eight,” he said after the match. “That took the wind out of the sails. The wind changed just a little and I didn’t get it right – and it went out into the eight ring.”
Laursen and Hansen stepped up in turn, each putting in another 10 – leaving Martin Damsbo to drill the last Danish arrow of the match into the centre for a perfect 60, a perfect finish and another team gold medal.
Final score: 235 for Denmark to the USA’s 232.
“It was just about pure archery,” said Damsbo, who only put one arrow out of the 10-ring and shoots for individual bronze in Wroclaw later on compound Saturday. “It’s a great feeling.”
When asked what they could have done differently, Steve Anderson – who shoots against Damsbo again in that individual bronze final – was pragmatic: “Don’t shoot it in the eight-ring!”
Italy had bronze in Wroclaw for a second year in a row. Sergio Pagni, Federico Pagnoni and Michele Nencioni, the same line-up that climbed the podium in 2014, were one point up over India after the first end.
Slick, 59-point ends in the second and third extended the lead. Italy finished with three 10s to secure the medal, 233-230.
“We’ve taken so many bronze medals,” said Pagni, laughing. “And Wroclaw is lucky for us. We’re a great team now.”
