Team USA’s Brady Ellison And Casey Kaufhold Take Bronze In Mixed Team Archery

PARIS — The dynamic duo of Brady Ellison and Casey Kaufhold came away with bronze in the mixed team archery event on Friday afternoon, beating India 6-2.

In the elimination round, their 6-0 win against Uzbekistan earned them a spot in the quarterfinal where they beat Japan 5-3.

But after Germany came away triumphant 6-3 in the semis, they were headed to the bronze medal matchup where the pair shot a perfect 10 with the first arrow in all four sets.

The win marks the first medal for five-time Olympian, Ellison, at these Games, after taking ninth in the event in Tokyo.

“Generally, in mixed teams, I’m pretty good,” he said. “Individually, you have more time to let the demons inside your head talk to you.”

Having a teammate to devise a game plan with helped.

“I feel like we executed it brilliantly,” Ellison said. “I think it helped with our nerves and I think for the most part we shot really well. We are Olympic bronze medalists, so that’s all there is to say.”

For his partner, this was also her first medal in Paris after she experienced an early upset defeat in the individual competition, falling to Chinese Taipei 5-1 in Invalides.

“Being in a city like Paris is amazing,” the 20-year-old said, “but to do the Olympic Games here is even better. We worked hard for this and put a lot of time and effort into it. Going into the day we knew we were shooting well, and we did it.”

The medal marks the first for a U.S. female archer since 1988, which explains Kaufhold’s excitement when she took the final shot to secure third. Alternating between jumping and hugging Ellison, the two-time Olympian cried tears of joy over what turned out to be the 41st medal for Team USA at these Games.

The moment, Kaufhold said, is “hard to put into words. My reaction, obviously, says it all.”

This was only the second time this event was contested, having been added in 2020 — the first time the archery program had been changed since men’s and women’s team events were added in 1988.

“I loved mixed team,” Ellison shared. “It’s a different dynamic.”

However, he explained why it’s harder to medal. “It’s your best man and your best woman and every country has a good man and a good woman,” he said.

With four medals now, the 35-year-old is still looking for his first gold. Sunday marks the last day of archery where Ellison will compete in the final four rounds of the men’s individual event.

Lisa Costantini has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for more than a decade, including for the International Olympic Committee. She is a freelance writer who has contributed to TeamUSA.com since 2011.