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MOKRICE, Slovenia – USA's archers finished fifth in the medals table at the World Archery 3D Championships, returning with one silver and two bronze, equaling the haul from Lac La Biche in 2019.
Silver success came via the men’s team of Shiloh Butts, Christian Clark, Archie Nixon and Aaron Shelnutt. The seventh seeds were denied gold by Spain, having already seen off second seeds France and sixth seeds Sweden earlier in the competition.
There was a tense battle for bronze in the women’s team competition. The USA quartet of Jayme Buchanan, Julie Jones, Katherine Li and Madison Ritter began their path to the podium with a 126-120 victory over Finland, the fourth seeds. The fifth seeded USA were edged 118-115 by top seeds Austria (1) in the semifinals, setting up a bronze medal showdown with France (3).
The two teams could not be separated, scoring a total of 114, which sent the match into a shoot-off. Each team of four archers scored 32 points in the shoot-off, with the USA closer to center.
Buchanan and Butts combined in the longbow mixed team to secure the second bronze of the competition. They opened with a convincing 102-87 win over Denmark, who were seeded three places higher.
Eventual gold medalists Spain won the semifinal encounter, which meant a bronze medal match for the United States against number one seeds Italy. The USA duo responded, delivering defeat by 139 points to 128 to the door of 3D powerhouse Italy – who went on to top the medals standings.