Reigning World Archery Champion Brady Ellison scored 702 out of a possible 720 points to set a new world record for the recurve men’s 72-arrow 70-metre ranking round at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
“It means so much. I’ve been shooting so good this year and I’ve shot so many 700s in practice. I shot 708 yesterday in practice. And we stepped onto that field today and there wasn’t a touch of wind on it and I was like, I know it, I got it,” said Brady.
“I’ve been shooting good enough and I had the weather to do it and it’s nice to finally get it.” The 30-year-old shot an incredible qualification round in Lima. He started with dozens of 118, 117 and 115 points for 350 total at midway and sit on pace to tie Woojin’s record of 700 points. His last end of the first half was his worst of the round – a 56.
Another three ends shot, Brady had dropped two consecutive 60s and only dropped two more points.
He finished with 57, 59 and 58 and stepped off the line roaring and then crying. Ellison had shot 702, a world record and become only the second recurve archer in history to break 700 points.
“I just went up there and had fun. I shot good and the last end I had a good chance at it. I needed a 57 to break the record. I was just like, focus on your shot. This is the same thing you’ve been doing all year. Keep your front shoulder strong,” he said.
“And boom, boom, boom, I shot 10, 10, 10 for the first three arrows. I was like alright, just three good arrows. You’re not going to miss the gold. Then all hell broke loose – and those were the hardest three arrows I’ve had to shoot.”
“I shot nine, nine – and the last arrow, just shoot a good shot and put it towards the middle and it’s going to hit. That thing fired and I knew it was going to be in there and I didn’t even have to look at it.”
This is the first time the recurve men’s ranking round world record has been broken outside of the Olympics since 2012. Im Dong Hyun set the mark at 687 points at the Games in Athens in 2004 and then steadily increased it until he hit 699 at London 2012. Kim Woojin stole the show – and the record – when he shot the first 700 at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016.
Brady is having the best season of his long international career. Currently ranked number one in the world, he took gold at two stages of the Hyundai Archery World Cup and won the Hyundai World Archery Championships in ’s-Hertogenbosch. He now has the ranking round world record, too.
Brazilian archer Marcus D’Almeida qualified second of the recurve men in Lima with 692 points while Brady’s USA teammate Jack Williams landed third on 689.
