Gold medal matches mark the final day of YMPAC in Halifax
HALIFAX, CA – Today was the final day of competition of the Youth and Masters Pan Am Championships, and it saw individual gold medals contested at the Mainland Common in Halifax. Once again, the conditions were fantastic, with the sun coming out on the final day. The winds were mild during the morning, and showed signs of picking up later on during the final recurve matches. However, the beautiful weather marked a great final day of competition.
The day started off with the barebow events. Ruth Delzell (USA) and Canadian Angela Foley faced off in the 50+ women’s division, and Delzell came out on top, bringing home the gold medal. The men in the same age category followed them, with a double American match featuring #1- and #2-ranked archers, Rick Stonebraker and Daniel Weiss, respectively. Weiss eventually topped the top-qualified Stonebraker, with a score of 6-2 and a final end point difference of 1. The next game on the agenda included two American women in the U18 division, Erin Heyob and Abigail Sparpaglione, who won the gold medal decisively, winning 6-0. Nicholas Heinzelman and Max Rossiter (both USA) faced off in the barebow U18 men’s gold medal final. Rossiter ranked first in the qualification rounds, and showed his skill again by winning the match. To round up the barebow competition at the Youth and Masters Pan Am Championships, American Anastacia Godman won the gold medal against teammate Raeleigh McKellar. The American barebow team swept all the gold medals in this bow discipline.
Individual medals awarded in barebow:
- U18M: Gold – Max Rossiter (USA), Silver – Nicholas Heinzelman (USA), Bronze – Luca Tatro (USA)
- U18W: Gold – Abigail Spargalione (USA), Silver – Erin Heyob (USA), Maggie Brensinger (USA)
- U21W: Gold – Anastacia Godman (USA), Silver – Raeleigh McKellar (USA), Lauren Heinzelman (USA)
- 50M: Gold – Daniel Weiss (USA), Silver – Rick Stonebraker (USA), Lloyd Polack (CAN)
- 50W: Gold – Ruth Delzell (USA), Silver – Angela Foley (CAN), Bronze – Darlene Kossler (USA)
Following the barebow competition, it was time for the compound archers to step up to the shooting line. The first match of this bow discipline saw a double Canadian lineup. Dawn Groszko and Tricia Oshiro shot against each other for the 50+ women’s gold, with Groszko coming away with the win and the medal. The 50+ men then took the stage, with Chuck Cooley and Christopher Deston, two Americans, facing off. Cooley, ranked #1 in qualifications, earned the gold medal with a score of 137-131. Ximena Estrada (MEX) and Savannah O’Donohue (USA) then faced off in the U18 women’s competition. Estrada also held the lead, and carried all the way to a gold medal. The U18 men’s gold medal final saw another MEX/USA matchup, featuring Jose Cuellar and William Fowler, respectively. Cuellar won the match and the gold medal. The U21 women’s compound final, between Isabella Otter of the US and Paola Corado of El Salvador, was incredibly close. Both ladies scored 135 in the 5 ends, and had to go to a tiebreaker. Otter shot a slightly better arrow, scoring 9, while Corado’s arrow scored 8. Otter, who has been dominating this competition thus far, ended up on top of the podium. The compound competition finished with the U21 men’s gold medal match, between Rodrigo Gonzalez de Alba (MEX) and Pablo Gomez Zuluaga (COL). It was another tight match, with a point gap never larger than 4. Gonzalez de Alba earned the final compound gold medal, winning by a score of 144-141.
Individual medals awarded in compound:
- U18M: Gold – Jose Cuellar (MEX), Silver – William Fowler (USA), Bronze – Julian Gomez Zuluaga (COL)
- U18W: Gold – Ximena Estrada (MEX), Silver – Savannah O’Donohue (USA), Bronze – Adriana Castillo (MEX)
- U21M: Gold – Rodrigo Gonzalez de Alba (MEX), Silver – Pablo Gomez Zuluaga (COL), Bronze – Isaac Sullivan (USA)
- U21W: Gold – Isabella Otter (USA), Silver – Paola Corado (ESA), Bronze – Chyler Sanders (CAN)
- 50M: Gold – Chuck Cooley (USA), Silver – Christopher Deston (USA), Bronze – Horacio Rubén Fannelli (ARG)
- 50W: Gold – Dawn Groszko (CAN), Silver – Tricia Oshiro (CAN), Bronze – Alanna Dunaway (USA)
The recurve division, the final category of the day, kicked off after lunch. The ladies aged over 50 were the first to take the field, both American. Janis Grellner won the match against Susan Bock, where, after a smaller score in the first end, she had three strong ends to finish it off. A double American final in the 50+ men’s division followed that up. Mark Williams and Stephen Vickers both shot very well, with no end scoring less than 24. Williams won the match and climbed to the top of the podium. After that, Diana Gutierrez (MEX) and Isabelle Trindade Estevez Pereira (BRA) shot their arrows in the U18 women’s recurve final. The ends were all incredibly close, with the first two were won by just a single point, and the final one decided by 2 points. Gutierrez was crowned the victor after the tight match. Francisco Padilla and Daniel Jiménez Serna, from Colombia and Mexico respectively, were the archers in the U18 men’s gold medal match. Padilla took the match with a score of 6-2 and earned the gold medal. The penultimate match of the day was the U21 women’s recurve final, contested between Paula Saucedo of Mexico and Ana Luiza Sliachticas Caetano from Brazil. The two ladies had 5 set points by the end of 5 rounds, so they went into a single arrow tiebreaker. Both of them shot a 9, but Caetano’s was closer to the end of the target. In the very last match of the entire event, the U21 men’s final match determined another gold medal winner. #1-ranked Carlos Vaca (MEX) faced off against #7-ranked Stefan Savin (USA), and it came down to the final end. Vaca, ever a dominant force in this competition, came out as the winner with a gold medal around his neck.
Individual medals awarded in recurve:
- U18M: Gold – Francisco Padilla (MEX), Silver – Daniel Jiménez Serna (COL), Bronze – Ewan An (USA)
- U18W: Gold – Diana Gutierrez (MEX), Silver – Isabelle Trindade Estevez Pereira (BRA), Bronze – Yatana Mora (USA)
- U21M: Gold – Carlos Vaca (MEX), Silver – Stefan Savin (USA), Bronze – Andres Gallardo Ferrada (CHI)
- U21W: Gold – Ana Luiza Sliachticas Caetano (BRA), Silver – Paula Sauceo (BRA), Bronze – Grecia Adriana Gonzalez Talamantes (MEX)
- 50M: Gold – Mark Williams (USA), Silver – Stephen Vickers (USA), Bronze – Daniel Cannelli (ARG)
- 50W: Gold – Janis Grellner (USA), Silver – Susan Bock (USA), Bronze – Tatyana Muntyan (ISV)
CANADIAN RESULTS
There were three Canadians in action today. Angela Foley shot against Ruth Delzell (USA) in the first match of the day, the gold medal match for the 50+ women’s barebow competition. The second two ends were quite close in points, not bigger than 3 point-differentials. Delzell eventually walked away with the win and a score of 6-0, but Foley stood on the podium in the silver medal position.
“It was really exciting,” exclaims Foley. “I’ve never been in eliminations like this before, and the conditions earlier in the week were really, really incredible. It’s hard to put into words, it’s really awesome. I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing, and try to qualify for whatever comes up next for my age category.”
Dawn Groszko and Tricia Oshiro, both from Alberta, faced each other in the final for the 50+ women’s compound. Both ladies were shooting strong from the beginning, with no arrow scoring less than 7. Groszko maintained a lead from end 1, and maintained it throughout the match. In the final end, she shot two 10s to nail down the win. The ladies, who are friends and teammates, climbed the podium and stood next to each other as the Canadian anthem played.
“I was so nervous, but it was amazing to be up there shooting against my own country, against a friend, a teammate, and fellow Calgarian. I was extremely nervous throughout the whole match and some of my shots showed it,” comments Groszko “It was extra special [to compete at home], it’s the second time I’ve competed in the arena for a medal, it’s always a learning experience, it’s fun, energizing, it’s the dream.”
“For me, it was a bit surreal, cause it’s been a comeback from switching from right to left handed, so it meant a lot to me,” Oshiro follows up. “To me, for an international event, it was the best scenario. We had two Canadians shooting for gold, so there’s no loser there. It’s the best possible outcome and the fact that we’re both from the same city, same province, it’s a good moment to represent. It’s my fourth time representing Canada, but my first time at home so it’s extra special.”
This day of competition concludes the inaugural edition of the Youth and Masters Pan Am Championships and the first target competition to come to Canadian soil since 1997.
The event was made possible by the Government of Canada, the Province of Nova Scotia, and the City of Halifax.
For more information, please contact:
Zoe Meil, Communications & Safe Sport Coordinator
(613) 260-2113 ext. 3
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