USA: OLYMPICS 2012/ARCHERY - World number one Brady Ellison hopes to lead U.S. team to the podium in London and end medal drought

Record ID: 330766

  • Title: USA: OLYMPICS 2012/ARCHERY - World number one Brady Ellison hopes to lead U.S. team to the podium in London and end medal drought
  • Date: 24th May 2012
  • Summary: DALLAS, TEXAS, UNITED STATES (RECENT-MAY 13, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF OLYMPIC RECURVE BOW AND TARGET U.S. AND WORLD NUMBER ONE BRADY ELLISON DEMONSTRATING ARCHERY (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. AND WORLD NUMBER ONE BRADY ELLISON SAYING: [REPORTER ASKING: 'Does the it (number one ranking) matter to you?'] "You know, I think it's just a number on a piece of paper. The thing that I like about it most is that I can never shoot bad because every match, the person I'm shooting against wants to beat number one, so I'm constantly getting pushed and that's a position I've never been in before, it's making me better and I like that." CAMERAS ELLISON TAKING ANOTHER SHOT (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. AND WORLD NUMBER ONE BRADY ELLISON SAYING: "Well it is. So in Arizona you have to be 10 [years old] to hunt big game and with archery you have to be able to pull 40 pounds [18.14 kilograms]. So with that when I was younger I had to practice to be able to shoot the weight, and of course my dad wasn't going to let me go out there and shoot at a deer or javelina, or something, if I wasn't good enough to make it a clean ethical shot, so you know, I had to practice 3-Ds and at targets and stuff like that then so I could build up my strength and become a better archer, so I'd be a better hunter." ELLISON TAKING ANOTHER SHOT (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. AND WORLD NUMBER ONE BRADY ELLISON ON POPULARITY OF ARCHERY IN HUNGER GAMES MOVIE SAYING: "You know, me personally, I haven't seen it, but talking to archery shops and some of our major retailers, you can see all the beginning equipment is sold out; shops have to turn people away that want to come in and try archery; and it's great for the sport. It's more people getting involved. It's more people participating, and I just pray and hope that some of these people will stay in this sport - instead of just try it and then leave - will stay in and start competing with us." ELLISON TAKING ANOTHER SHOT (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. AND WORLD NUMBER ONE BRADY ELLISON SAYING: [Reporter asking: 'Do you have a personal expectation for London?'] "Two gold medals. Not too high or anything! [LAUGHS]" ARROW STRIKING CENTER OF TARGET
  • Embargoed: 8th June 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAENT5VK2U53ZQK87EJ9YXILK91
  • Story Text: With the world's number one ranked archer and a massive surge in interest thanks to the book and blockbuster movie, 'The Hunger Games', the U.S. archery team wants to return to the top of the podium at the London Olympics this summer.
    "Two gold medals. Not too high or anything!" declared Brady Ellison, who will lead the American team.
    Ellison climbed to the top spot with and gold in the 2010 FITA World Cup and maintained his ranking with back-to-back indoor titles in 2011 and 2012 under the tutelage of former South Korean national coach Kisik Lee, who crossed the Pacific and began revamping the American team in 2006.
    "You know, I think it's just a number on a piece of paper," said the 23-year old from rural Arizona about his ranking.
    "The thing that I like about it most is that I can never shoot bad because every match, the person I'm shooting against wants to beat number one, so I'm constantly getting pushed and that's a position I've never been in before, it's making me better and I like that," he added.
    From 1972 to 1996, with the exception of the Barcelona and Moscow Games, the U.S. team has won Olympic gold until a decade-long drought that started in Australia. Now, the Americans are returning to the fore behind an unexpected leader.
    In a sport dominated by South Korean and European target shooters, Ellison is what some would call a purest. Raised in a family of hunters in Glendale, Arizona, he picked up a bow at the age of seven in order to join his dad hunting deer and wild pig around his grandfather's ranch.
    "So in Arizona you have to be 10 to hunt big game and with archery [bow hunting] you have to be able to pull 40 pounds [18.14 kilograms]. So with that when I was younger I had to practice to be able to shoot the weight," described Ellison about getting his hunting license.
    "Of course, my dad wasn't going to let me go out there and shoot at a deer or javelina [wild desert pig], or something, if I wasn't good enough to make it a clean ethical shot, so you know, I had to practice 3-Ds and at targets and stuff like that then so I could build up my strength and become a better archer, so I'd be a better hunter," he explained.
    But it wasn't enough to be a good hunter using a mechanical compound bow, in 2006 - the same year that Lee too over the reins at U.S. Archery - Ellison switched to a recurve bow and began target shooting where his hunting background and mental focus quickly brought him to the attention of coaches. The young phenom then left school to focus on the Olympic sport at the U.S. training center in Chula Vista, California.
    In addition to the top archer in the world, the U.S. has seen a surge in the sports' popularity thanks to the best-selling book 'The Hunger Games', which was turned into a Hollywood blockbuster starring teen actor Jennifer Lawrence - who was trained by Ellison's U.S. teammate and four-time Olympian Khatuna Lorig.
    Though the low-key Ellison admits he has yet to see the movie, he acknowledges the benefits to his sport.
    "You know, me personally, I haven't seen it, but talking to archery shops and some of our major retailers, you can see all the beginning equipment is sold out; shops have to turn people away that want to come in and try archery; and it's great for the sport," he said.
    "It's more people getting involved. It's more people participating."
    Now the man from rural Arizona will step into the Olympic venue on the hallowed grass at Lords Cricket Ground and shoot for gold.
    The archery competition begins the first day of the London Games on July 27th.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Video restrictions: parts of this video may require additional clearances. Please see ‘Business Notes’ for more information.
Register