Team USA compound archers stood on top the podium recently in Madrid, Spain, claiming all four men's and women's youth team titles.
In eight editions of the World Archery Youth Championships, the U.S. has held the compound cadet (under 18) women's team gold all but once, finishing with silver in 2017. In Madrid, they reclaimed the gold, bringing top honors home for Team USA. In the first six arrows, Russia ran out of time on an arrow, while world record holder Faith Miller and her USA cadet compound teammates Raegan Bender and Mackenzie Weatherspoon opened with a strong 57. It was over from there — with a 10-point lead, the USA girls dominated and finished 230-223 to win.
"It's a huge accomplishment for all of us," said Miller. "We worked so hard and so dedicated to the sport, and it's incredible to get here."
The USA compound cadet men also secured a big gold win over the top ranked team from Denmark. Team USA’s Cole Zeug, Matthew Russell and Sawyer Sullivan, all new to the world stage, had an impressive performance all week as a trio, filling big shoes as defending world champions. On the big stage, they steadily built an advantage in the gold final to win 227-223.
"I'm so excited. It's awesome!” said Sullivan. “Absolutely, the girls' gold motivated us more. We wanted that gold really bad. I knew there was a chance to win gold when I arrived in Madrid, but we had to work hard for it."
The compound junior (under 21) women's gold final against Russia was intense, going back and forth each end with single-point swings. The final six arrows came down to several arrow calls and with Team USA catching the lines they needed, World No. 1 Alexis Ruiz, Anna Scarbrough and Savannah Vanderwier clinched the win 230-229.
In the compound junior men’s final, Curtis Broadnax, Cooper French and Connor Sears contested the team gold against Mexico. The minute they stepped onto the stage, they were dialed in with a strong 59 and a 5-point lead. In the second end, the team closed with three perfect 10s to build an 8-point lead, 117-109. Finishing out 233-223, they claimed the gold and solidified the podium sweep for all four USA teams.
About USA Archery
USA Archery is the National Governing Body for the Olympic sport of archery in the United States. USA Archery selects and trains Olympic, Paralympic, World Championship, and World Cup teams, as well as developing archery at the grassroots level across the United States. For more information, visit www.usarchery.org.
