Three-time Olympian Brady Ellison from Team USA has almost every title in the world on his resume, but World Champion had eluded him thus far. A difficult beginning at the recent Netherlands event saw the men's recurve team and mixed team fall early in matches, but Ellison remained determined to finish with the gold. On his path, he also locked up the first U.S. Olympic quota spot for Team USA at Tokyo 2020.
"This tournament has been an emotional rollercoaster,” Ellison said. “I almost lost my first match, not because I wasn't in it, but just because he shot really good. I ended up coming back in a shoot-off and slowly just started shooting better and better, shooting 30s in this wind. When I got into the semifinals, I just kept telling myself: 'You're not going to lose this, you're going to win the World Championships.’”
Ellison put an exclamation point on the 2019 outdoor season with a decisive perfect “X” in a finals shoot-off to clinch the World Championship. He used Easton X10 arrows to handle the venue’s shifting winds. His opponent, Khairul Mohamed, brought Malaysia its first ever World Championship medal by taking the silver. Mohamed was also using Easton X10 shafts.
Both shooters went back and forth in the match, tying the first three sets and trading wins in the final two, which forced a shoot-off. “I knew I had to have it,” Ellison said. “And I knew if I could get that arrow and stick it good, that I’d probably win it.”
In the shoot-off, Ellison stepped to the line first and loosed a solid 10. Mohamed then fired an 8 and Ellison emotionally celebrated the win. He became the first U.S. men's recurve World Archery Champion since Rick McKinney in 1985.
"It was a little windier on the shooters than I was expecting,” Ellison said. “I went out there in familiarization and hit right behind the pin and then that match, I don't know if I was just excited, but I hit high. I would get sighted in and then shoot high again, and I never felt like I made a bad shot, other than one low left 9 that was a little iffy, but otherwise I felt good about my shots.”
On finally winning the world title, Ellison said: "I was close in 2011 with the bronze. I've always wanted it so bad, and then I'd get there and make a little mistake and go out in the quarters and don't give myself the chance. I shot good here, I've been shooting good all year and it just hasn't sunk in yet. I'll start crying soon.
"This is probably the biggest one I've won," he continued. "It's bigger than my fields, it's probably bigger than my bronze at the Games at this moment. Now I need that Olympic gold medal. I need a gold. Yes, I want that Olympic gold and I'm going to get it next year."
The 2019 World Championship in the Netherlands was the largest ever staged, with more than 600 shooters attempting to win slots for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Watch the video below to see the final two arrows shot during the tight finals competition between Brady Ellison and Khairul Mohamed. (Viewing tip: Be sure to hit full screen and turn up the volume on the Facebook video.)
