Williams looks to Turkey after SoCal success while Pearce ends silver streak

June 9, 2024

Jack Williams warmed up for the upcoming Final Qualification Tournament (FQT), with Olympic quota spots on offer, by winning men’s recurve gold at the 2024 Easton Foundations SoCal Showdown in Chula Vista, in California.

Williams had fought his way to the final with victories over Brady Ellison, who will be teammate in Turkey for FQT and Gator Cup silver medalist Christian Stoddard, before getting the better of Gabe Anderson 6-0.

“I was really prepared,” Williams said after his victory. “I’ve been trying new things and the focus now is on getting everything set perfectly for the 15th when we’ll know for sure we’re going (to the Olympics), so that’s the only thing which was on my radar until now.

In the classic women’s race, Casey Kaufhold continued her stranglehold on the SoCal Showdown. The 2022 and 2023 champion proved too strong for Gaby Schloesser (NED), winning 6-0. Aida Roman Arroyo won bronze.

Kaufhold will be part of the U.S. team to compete in the third stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup, which will take place in Turkey later this month. She will travel to Türkiye early with Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez and Catalina GNoriega. The trio have already secured their place for the Paris Games but want to lend their support to Williams, Ellison and Trenton Cowles.

“Last time it was both of us shooting in the FQT,” Kaufhold began. “So now it’s a different dynamic, we only have one team and we don’t want them to feel like they’re not supported, that they’re there on their own, so I think “It’s important that we come together as Team America to support each other.”

For the previous four editions of the SoCal Showdown, former world champion Paige Pearce came away with the silver medal in the compound women’s category. That run ended Sunday afternoon when she beat Olivia Dean to win gold.

Dean had won the first two USAT Qualifier Series events of the year and fought hard to achieve a hat-trick, but Pearce was not willing to bow out. Pearce won the SoCal Showdown in 2019, before his streak of silver medals.

“I heard him (commentator George Tekmitchov) say it, as we were getting ready to walk to the line,” Pearce admitted with a smile. “I’m glad I did it, because I said to myself ‘never again.’

“Every year here, I feel like I’m prepared. The finale is still windier than we’re used to, and I feel like hearing that from George was a bit of a reset for me. I was like, I don’t want money, put your arrows in the middle, it’s not that hard.

Pearce and Dean were tied after three ends, but Pearce stepped up his game with two maximums to win by three points, 147-144. Tanja Gellenthien won bronze.

Cincy Czako, like Dean, entered this event after winning in Arizona and Florida, and she made it three for three in beating top seed Diane Cochran 6-0 in the women’s barebow. Bronze went to Shenlan Guan.

Bodie Turner toppled Mr. Perfect, world number one Mike Schloesser (NED) in the compound men’s final. The second end made the difference. While Turner scored his second maximum, Schloesser could only score 28. The archers battled to the end, allowing Turner to triumph 146-144. Sawyer Sullivan won the bronze medal.

Top seed in the men’s barebow competition, Raymond Huang (CAN) fought his way to gold by defeating Chris Garcia in a one-arrow shoot-off. Garcia, winner of last week’s U.S. National Archery Championships in Indiana and bronze medalist at last year’s SoCal Showdown, led 4-2 after three ends, but Huang forced the shoot-off and completed the comeback.

Previously, the top seeds had triumphed in the 50+ women’s recurve, as well as the 50+ men’s and women’s compound arches. Nicole Rasor won gold in recurve. Another Arizona-based archer, Kenneth Brunko, won gold in the men’s 50+ compound, while Alanna Dunaway topped the podium in the women’s 50+ compound. For Brunko, that means back-to-back success at the SoCal Showdown.

Ali Gungoraydinoglu won gold in the men’s 50+ recurve after a 7-1 victory over Larry Anderson. Tom Stevenson’s return to competitive archery was rewarded with a bronze medal.

Johannes Gildenhuys defeated top seed Stephen Hilger on his way to winning men’s 50+ barebow gold. Hilger took bronze and Bob Carroll took silver.

And in the women’s 50+ barebow, Lisa Sullivan successfully defended her title by beating Petula Workman. Barbara Carroll came away with silver and Phyllis Shipman repeated her 2023 performance with the bronze medal.

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