The 60th anniversary of the Vegas Shoot showcased not only record-setting performances, but a clear trend at the highest level of indoor competition: widespread adoption of a single arrow platform among the world's top compound archers.
Across the Championship Compound divisions, a significant majority of the field—including nearly all finalists—competed with Easton X27 arrow shafts. That level of adoption reflects the demands of the format, where outcomes are decided in millimeters and equipment consistency becomes critical, and that level of performance was on full display throughout the event.
The Netherlands' Mike Schloesser secured his third Vegas Shoot title following a pressure-filled shootdown, while Great Britain's Ella Gibson claimed her first championship in a rare five-way shoot-off. In qualification, U.S. archer Bodie Turner delivered a historic 900-90X performance—highlighting the level of precision now required simply to reach the final stages.
In recurve competition, Brady Ellison earned his record 12th Vegas Shoot title, while Casey Kaufhold defended her championship to secure her third overall win.
As scoring tightens and fields deepen, equipment selection has become increasingly uniform at the top levels of the sport—particularly in indoor compound, where elite archers continue to prioritize setups that minimize variables under pressure.
The trend is hard to ignore, when nearly the entire final field shows up with the same platform, it says something about what top archers are looking for right now—repeatability and confidence shot to shot.
The 2026 Vegas Shoot once again demonstrated the evolution of competitive archery, where margins are razor-thin, and performance is defined by execution as much as equipment.
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