PARIS, France — American archer Brady Ellison was on the brink of finally winning a gold medal in his fifth Olympics.
He was in a shoot-off with South Korean Kim Woo-jin in the men’s individual final after battling to a draw through four sets.
Both scored 10 points on their single arrow in the shoot-off, but Kim’s was closer to the center, giving him his third gold medal of the Paris Games. He took the matchup 6-5 on Sunday at Les Invalides.
Ellison called it one of the best Olympic finals ever and said the matchup and finish was good for the sport. Both closed with four straight 10s.
“This is the match I’ve been dreaming of since we first shot against each other in 2009 or 2010," the 35-year-old Ellison said. "It’s the match I’ve always wanted. I think world archery and the fans across the world have always wanted it."
He wasn’t technical on his final shot.
“I just looked at the middle and let her rip,” he said.
Ellison claimed his second medal of the Games, following a bronze he won with Casey Kaufhold in the mixed team event on Friday. He extended his U.S. record to five Olympic medals; three silvers and two bronzes.
Last Olympics, he entered ranked No. 1 in the world and failed to medal. This time, he was calm and cool, and it paid off.
“I felt like this was the best I’ve ever shot at an Olympics,” Ellison said. “I was under control, I shot well and I performed.”
He knew facing the South Koreans would be tough. They won gold medals in all five categories at these Games, and South Korea’s Lee Woo-seok beat Germany’s Florian Unruh for bronze in the men’s individual category on Sunday.
Ellison beat South Korea’s Kim Je-deok 6-0 in the quarterfinals and Germany’s Florian Unruh 7-3 in the semifinals before facing Kim Woo-jin.
Kim Woo-jin won his first individual Olympic medal and fifth overall gold.
Ellison said he's not done chasing gold yet.
“I think we’re going to do a rematch in LA,” Ellison said, looking ahead to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.