NEWBERRY, Fla. — The process took about nine months and around 1,500 arrows, but to Brady Ellison that felt brief.
Surely the experience from going through two previous Olympic trials helped. But more likely, it’s that the United States’ top archer is in a good place heading into Rio.
On a nearly 90-degree day at the Easton Newberry Complex, Ellison wrapped up that months-long process by finishing as team USA’s top qualifier for the Games. He finished with 170 total points through the three-stage process. Zach Garrett finished second with 148.5 to qualify for his first Olympics, and Jake Kaminski took third with 110.5 to grab the last spot and make his second consecutive Olympic team.
“I think we had a great team in London, and we have a team with a lot more ability now than we did then. I’m shooting better than I ever have,” said Ellison. “I feel like the competition’s getting better, but my confidence and where I’m at in life right now, I think is setting me up to win an individual gold as well.
“We have the potential to shoot this year and be the No. 1-ranked team at the Games and win it.”
That’s hardly bluster or bravado. All three men are ranked among the top 25 in the world, with Ellison in second.
Heading into his third Olympics, he has plenty of reasons for his success. Experience helps, to be sure, and Ellison has figured out some things technically that have helped him improve. But his life away from range is happier. He’s moved home to Arizona after years of training in California, and he was married to his wife, Slovenian archer Toja Cerne, in late April.
“I think really I’m in a place that I like,” he said.
Adds Kisik Lee, the U.S. team coach and Ellison’s longtime coach, “The experience is no problem, but what I saw from 2008, 2012, 2016, right now is the best. He can win the medal individually. It’s just a different level of performance right now to show to the world.”
Even with his spot on the team secure heading into Monday’s round-robin competition, Ellison looked to keep winning. He claimed six of seven of his matches, losing only to Daniel McLaughlin, who moved up in the rankings to finish fourth and be named the alternate for Rio.
Garrett, meanwhile, continued his meteoric rise through the sport with a solid day after effectively clinching his spot Sunday. Garrett, 21, moved to USA Archery’s resident program in Chula Vista, Calif., at 18, only one year after joining the Junior Dream Team.
“It’s felt pretty fast,” he said. “It’s like a bit of a whirlwind, but at the same time, I’ve been involved in archery for most of my life.”
Garrett joins a team with Olympic experience and success. Ellison and Kaminski were on the 2012 team that, along with Jacob Wukie, took silver in London.
For Kaminski, the process did not seem brief. USA Archery held the first qualifier over Labor Day in College Station, Texas, before hosting the second in Chula Vista in April.
“It’s been a long process,” he said. “Each arrow counted and it was important to fight no matter what because it was never over until the end.”
Now the trio will focus on shooting as a team together, first at the Archery World Cup in Antalya, Turkey in June and then at camps and domestic competitions before Rio.
It’s in Turkey that the U.S. women will try to qualify an entire team. Mackenzie Brown clinched the USA’s lone spot easily, finishing with 157 total points while Hye Youn Park finished in second with 127.5 and Khatuna Lorig took third with 125.75.
The trio don’t have a lot of experience competing together — Park only gained U.S. citizenship in 2015 after moving to the country several years ago — but Brown is confident they can finish on the podium in Turkey, which would lock up the team spot for Rio. Should that happen, Lorig would be headed to her sixth Olympics.
“It does give me confidence that they have that experience at such a high level, but I also feel that I’ve earned my keep, especially the competitions that I’ve been in and done well in,” said Brown, 21. “I’m really excited to see how we work together as a team.”
PHOTOS: U.S. ATHLETES HEADING TO RIO OLYMPICS
