Brady Ellison kicks off Indoor World Series defence with top qualification in Rio
It seems no warm-up was needed for Brady Ellison, who shot brilliantly on Friday at the Rio Indoor 250 to begin his Indoor World Series defence.
It has been 278 days since the American great claimed his fourth World Series Final in March, and he returned as if he never left, posting an astonishing 597 in the 60-arrow qualification round on archery’s premier international indoor circuit.
The score was just two points shy of Ellison’s world record and marks the highest 18-metre qualification score so far in the 2025 Series, following the Swiss Open, GT Open and Taipei Open.
“Today’s just going to be getting the body loose after flying yesterday, and then tomorrow it’s the eliminations – that’s where it really matters,” Ellison said before the round.
“I’ve been down to Brazil several times now for the Pan Ams and the Olympics. It’s nice to come back to the city. Right now it’s about -20 degrees at my house and snowing, so being able to wear shorts and t-shirts again is pretty nice.”
Rio is the only World Series stop in the southern hemisphere, where December brings sunshine and beach weather rather than cold winter conditions. While the archers compete in the air-conditioned Parque Olímpico, the environment is still unusual for many, including Ellison.
The Montana archer, however, brought his ice-cool composure to the heat of Copacabana, landing 57 of 60 arrows in the tiny 10-ring.
The 39-strong recurve men’s field in Brazil also added competitiveness to Ellison’s impressive performance. Five archers, including Ellison, scored at least 590, with home favourite and Gwangju 2025 Hyundai World Archery Championships runner-up Marcus D’Almeida taking second seed with 595.
Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist and 2025 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final Champion Ellison lightly joked in a TV interview after Nanjing that at 37 he is still keeping pace with the sport’s young stars. Indoors, it appears nothing has changed – he remains a force to be reckoned with.
Elsewhere, qualifications in the compound categories saw dominant performances.
Reigning women’s World Archery Champion Andrea Becerra posted 598 in her first 2026 Series appearance, a remarkable 11 points ahead of compatriot Dafne Quintero. In the men’s field, Mathias Fullerton claimed his first pole position of the season with 598, five points clear of Swiss Open winner Ajay Scott.
The second day of competition at the Rio Indoor begins this morning local time with individual eliminations, followed by under-21 and barebow finals.
Compound and recurve finals take place on Sunday and can be watched live with a subscription to archery+.
Top seeds: Rio Indoor 250
- Recurve men: Brady Ellison, USA – 597
- Recurve women: Isabelle Trindade Estevez Pereira, Brazil – 586
- Compound men: Mathias Fullerton, Denmark – 598
- Compound women: Andrea Becerra, Mexico – 598
