D’Amour Performs Well in Adverse Conditions in Shanghai at Stage II of the World Cup

The Hyundai Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai, China, challenged a large field in all divisions, with nearly 300 competitors from more than 30 countries. On Wednesday, the Olympic recurve archers battled constant rainfall in a three-hour qualifying session that some would rather forget.

Korea’s Kang Chae Young and USA’s Brady Ellison took the top individual seeds, as torrential rain blighted recurve qualifying at the second stage of the World Cup. Top seed Ellison snatched the lead from China’s Wang Dapeng in the closing stages, leading qualifying with a score of 670. Impressive, considering the circumstances.

In a field of 92 competitors in the Men’s Recurve Division, Nicholas D’Amour of the Virgin Islands qualified in 28th. Considering the conditions, D’Amour had a great first half, finishing 12th. The downpour made it difficult for D’Amour to manage his arrow flight in the second half. He had to settle for 28th seed, with a score of 645, going into the elimination round on Friday.

“It was a very bad day for me,” said Olympic champion Mete Gazoz, who sunk to 25th with a score of 646. “I couldn’t understand the conditions – rainy and windy. Today is not the best day of my life, but it wasn’t the worst day either. It will be much better on Friday.”