Para Archery Preview

The U.S. Para archery team is in prime position to get back to the medal stand heading into this summer’s Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

In a pandemic-interrupted qualifying process, the journey to Tokyo for Team USA began way back at the 2019 World Archery Para Championships in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. The U.S. locked up five critical spots for the 2020 Games, including a maximum three spots — the most of any country — in the most competitive men’s division, the compound open. The U.S. also earned two other spots in the men’s recurve open event. The next opportunity for Team USA to earn quota spots came in March 2021, when U.S. women earned spots in W1 and individual recurve.

While the U.S. secured quota spots at qualification tournaments, it was the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials in May and June 2021 that determined which archers filled those spots. Trials took place over three stages. Filling the seven spots Team USA had earned to that point were Paralympian K.J. Polish, Paralympic gold medalist Andre Shelby and Paralympic medalist Matt Stutzman in compound men’s; three-time Paralympian Eric Bennett and Kevin Mather in recurve men’s; Paralympian Lia Coryell in W1 and Emma Rose Ravish in women’s recurve.

Para archery is known as one of the “original eight,” one of eight sports included on the original program at the Paralympic Games Rome 1960. But the sport goes back even further than that, having been included in the inaugural 1948 Stoke Mandeville Games, forerunner to the modern Paralympic Games. The Paralympic program differs from that of the Olympic Games in that compound bows are included while only recurve is contested on the Olympic program. Team USA won one gold medal in Rio and has the second-most medals all time, trailing only Great Britain.

Updated on July 19, 2021. For more information, contact the sport press officer.

Never count out Lia Coryell for anything. Despite never picking up a compound bow until 2014, Coryell went on to make her Paralympic debut in 2016 at the Rio Games. Qualification for Tokyo was even harder as Coryell fought through a COVID-19 diagnosis and a host of other health problems including heart failure and bacterial pneumonia. She recovered in time to complete Para trials and book her place in Tokyo.

While Coryell is the oldest member of the team at 56, Emma Rose Ravish is the youngest at 21. But the two have something in common as they were both very fast risers in the sport. Ravish earned her classification and made her first world championship team within 36 hours. She went on to finish 17th at the 2019 worlds and has since become a national record holder.
Eric Bennett, 47, will be going to his fourth Paralympic Games still seeking his first medal. It’s the one notable thing missing from an otherwise decorated career that’s included a world championship in 2015 and four national titles. Bennett has competed in both recurve and compound at the Games, coming closest to a medal in 2012 by finishing fourth in recurve. 

Kevin “K.J.” Polish, 38, is headed back to the Paralympic Games for a second time after finishing ninth in his debut in Rio. An archer since the age of 3, Polish won gold with the U.S. team at the 2005 world championships. But a series of health problems, including a bladder cancer diagnosis, sidelined much of his competitive career. He bounced back to make the 2016 Paralympic team then overcame world champion Ben Thompson at the U.S. trials to make the team for Tokyo.
August 27, 2021: Paralympic competition gets underway with the ranking round in all individual events
August 28, 2021: Bronze- and gold-medal matches in mixed team W1
August 29, 2021: Bronze- and gold-medal matches in mixed team compound open
August 30, 2021: Bronze- and gold-medal matches in women’s individual compound open and men’s individual W1
August 31, 2021: Bronze- and gold-medal matches in men’s individual compound open and women’s individual W1
September 2, 2021: Bronze- and gold-medal matches in women’s individual recurve open
September 3, 2021: Bronze- and gold-medal matches in men’s individual recurve open
September 4, 2021: Bronze- and gold-medal matches in mixed team recurve open