TOKYO, Japan — Brady Ellison, the world champion, reigning bronze medalist and No. 1-ranked archer in the world, was so close to having the chance to go for gold in the individual men's archery competition.
However, he just came up short.
After gliding through the the first three rounds to get to the quarterfinals, including defeating fellow American Jacob Wukie in the Round of 16 earlier in the day, Ellison lost 7-3 to Turkey's Mete Gazoz on Saturday. He finished 7th in the games.
“I still felt like I shot really good in there,” Ellison told USA Archery. “I’m actually not that upset. I just misjudged the wind on a couple and that was it.”
The Globe native nearly forced his match with Gazoz to a shoot-off. Through four sets, neither competitor had managed a score greater than 28. Ellison went 10-9-10 for a 29 in the fifth set, but Gazoz notched a perfect 30 for the 7-3 win. The U.S. archer missed a couple of opportunities to tie or win sets earlier, managing only 26 points when Gazoz shot a beatable 27.
In the final, neither archer managed a 30, but Gazoz had back-to-back 29s to seal the win.
The individual matches were Ellison's last chance to medal in Tokyo after he lost in both team competitions last week.
Gazoz went on to defeat Italian archer Mauro Nespoli for the gold medal. Gazoz had beaten Ellison in their two previous matches at world cups in Berlin in 2018 and 2019.
Olympics
The Tokyo Olympics are here! Watch some of our YouTube content featuring athletes and stories with unique Arizona connections.Subscribe for updates.
