Shocker: U.S. archer Brady Ellison, No. 1 ranked in world, bounced in Round of 16
LONDON — Brady Ellison, whose No. 1 ranking and amiable personality made him the face of American archery, was eliminated in the men's individual Round of 16 on Wednesday in one of the most stunning results for the U.S. at the London Games.
Taylor Worth of Australia defeated Ellison 7-1 in set points, tallying 112 points overall to 106 for the Glendale, Ariz., native. Worth, 21, was ranked No. 44 in the world entering the event.
Ellison's teammate Jacob Wukie also lost in the Round of 16, 6-2 to Beard Nesteng of Norway. (A guy from Norway named "Beard" … sometimes, life is just sublime.)
Jake Kaminski of the U.S. lost to Dan Olaru of Moldova in a Round of 16 shootout, leaving the U.S. with no archers in the semifinals at Lord's.
This was a crushing loss for Ellison, 23, who was caught in a wave of popularity for archery in the U.S., fueled by pop culture pushes like "The Hunger Games," "Brave" and "The Avengers." He appeared on ESPN's "Sports Science," shooting arrows through items like a glazed doughnut.
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He's the No. 1-ranked archer in the world for 2011 and 2012, and won gold at both the Pan American Games and the World Archery Indoor Championships.
"There's a lot of hype and stuff right now surrounding me. You can be the face of this, or you could be the face of that. I feel very blessed and fortunate that people try to make me that," Ellison said before the archery competition.
His loss in quarters comes after the U.S. men's team had to settle for the silver medal over the weekend, losing to Italy on the final arrow. It was the first medal of any kind for the U.S. in London.
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