Arrows at Gold - London 2012 Olympics, Womens Team Quarterfinals

Korea vs India
India lost a winnable match in the first end, hitting three sixes. They went on to beat the Koreans in the remaining three ends by a score of 167-162 but ultimately falling five shy of a winning score. Korea were not on song only hitting all gold in the second end, the other ends polluted with eights and seven; they hit the bullseye six times.

With seven tens and just a pair of eights India were the better team and would deservedly be competing for medals if not for that opening end score of forty-four.

KOREA									INDIA
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	8	9	9	10	9	8	53		1	9	9	6	6	8	6	44
2	10	9	9	9	9	10	56		2	9	10	10	9	9	10	57
3	10	8	8	7	9	9	51		3	9	10	9	9	9	9	55
4	9	9	10	10	8	9	55		4	9	10	10	8	10	8	55
Total							215		Total							211

Japan vs Mexico
Japan were unable to bring their from from the first round into their contest with Mexico. Whereas in their victory over the Ukrainians Japan managed to score 167 through three ends, only going outside the eight in the final end, here they managed to shoot seven sevens while Mexico hit nothing by 8-9-10.

Despite three sevens in the opening half Japan was tied with the Mexicans 106-106 with four tens, three of which came in the first end. Mexico hit a pair of tens and a mixture of eights and nines as they tried to find their groove. Neither side found the centre in the third end but Mexico's three eights trumped the triple sevens of Japan, and the golden fourth end for Mexico sealed their place into the semifinals where they will face Korea.

JAPAN									MEXICO
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	7	9	10	10	10	7	53		1	10	9	9	8	8	8	52
2	9	7	8	10	9	10	53		2	9	9	9	8	9	10	54
3	7	9	7	9	7	9	48		3	8	8	9	9	9	8	51
4	8	7	9	9	10	9	52		4	10	9	9	10	9	10	57
Total							206		Total							214

Taipei vs Russia
Russia were below par for this one with almost half of their shots (11/24) scoring eight, another two in the second end finding the six. This only made things easier for Taipei as they shot outside of the gold rings once through the first three ends, relaxing in the final go-round with the match won.

TAIPEI									RUSSIA
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	10	9	10	9	9	10	57		1	8	8	10	8	8	8	50
2	8	9	10	9	9	9	54		2	10	8	6	9	6	10	49
3	10	10	9	9	9	9	56		3	9	9	10	9	9	8	54
4	8	9	8	9	8	7	49		4	8	10	9	8	8	8	51
Total							216		Total							204

China vs United States
One team hit the bullseye five times, the other just twice and both found a pair of sevens. But the real difference came when the United States consistently found the nine; eighteen of their twenty-four arrows hitting the mark. On the other side, for every nine China hit they were finding an eight to go along with it and ultimately losing the match in the third end where they scored no tens but three eights and a seven. The USA did not need a maximum in the second half of the match as they only feel outside the nine twice.

CHINA									UNITED STATES
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	10	10	8	8	9	8	53		1	9	10	9	8	9	7	52
2	9	9	8	10	9	9	54		2	9	9	9	9	10	9	55
3	8	9	7	8	8	9	49		3	9	8	9	9	9	9	53
4	9	10	8	9	10	7	53		4	9	9	9	9	7	9	52
Total							209		Total							212

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Arrows at Gold - London 2012 Olympics, Womens Team First Round

India vs Denmark
India was glad of their 109-103 lead heading into the third end as they hit two sixes to score under fifty; Denmark closing the gap to just two points but their inability to avoid the eight throughout the match cost them a real chance of qualifying for the next round.

India hit the bullseye twice per end to counter the odd seven and eight creeping into their shooting while the Danes only managed five tens total along with seven eights.

INDIA									DENMARK
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	9	9	10	9	8	10	55		1	10	9	7	9	8	8	51
2	9	9	10	7	9	10	54		2	7	9	9	8	10	9	52
3	8	6	6	10	9	10	49		3	9	8	8	10	9	9	53
4	9	10	9	10	9	9	56		4	8	8	10	10	6	9	51
Total							214		Total							207

Japan vs Ukraine
For three ends Japan put on an archery masterclass hitting nine tens for a commanding win over the Ukraine. The wheels fell off in the fourth however with some rather wild shots but the result was never in doubt.

On the other side the Ukrainians really fought to find their mark, only breaking the fifty point barrier once in the first end. Just three bullseyes would never be enough to keep them safe with half their arrows hitting outside of the gold rings, including an incredible two fours and a three.

JAPAN									UKRAINE
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	9	10	10	10	8	9	56		1	9	8	10	7	9	8	51
2	10	10	10	9	9	10	58		2	9	9	8	8	8	7	49
3	10	8	10	8	9	8	53		3	9	7	3	9	9	9	46
4	9	8	6	7	8	8	46		4	10	4	10	9	4	8	45
Total							213		Total							191

Great Britain vs Russia
The penultimate match of the opening round saw the host nation take a 106-104 lead into the second half of proceedings. Neither side looked to be terribly comfortable through the first end with Team GB hitting the seven, but with four nines, and Russia nailing the eight with three arrows but also making a maximum.

The second end saw the Brits move ahead with all gold outside of the fifth arrow which struck the eight. Russia had to make do with a single ten to go with a seven and an eight. Then the match turned and the Russians tied it up with one end to play thanks to a pair of tens against Britain's single bullseye and a seven. The final end was a similar story as the Russians only found gold and GB hit another seven to knock themselves out by two points.

GREAT BRITAIN									RUSSIA
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	8	7	9	9	9	9	51		1	10	8	9	8	9	8	52
2	10	9	9	9	8	10	55		2	9	10	8	7	9	9	52
3	9	9	9	7	9	10	53		3	10	10	9	8	9	9	55
4	9	9	7	10	9	10	54		4	10	10	9	9	9	9	56
Total							213		Total							215

China vs Italy
The tenth arrow fired by the Italians proved to be a very costly miss as it embedded itself in the three ring. Even a rogue five from the Chinese to start the final end would not be enough to open the door for Italy.

The wild shot came with Italy ahead 54-51 after the first end and looked likely to extend that lead with a 9-10-8 run to kick off the second; China another point back with 8-8-10. From that moment on China failed to hit gold on three shots while Italy would only find the centre of the target once more.

CHINA									ITALY
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	7	8	10	9	9	8	51		1	10	8	8	8	10	10	54
2	8	8	10	9	9	9	53		2	9	10	8	3	8	8	46
3	8	10	10	10	9	8	55		3	9	9	8	9	9	10	54
4	5	9	9	10	9	10	52		4	9	8	9	9	7	9	51
Total							211		Total							205

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Arrows at Gold - London 2012 Olympics, Mens Team Medal Matches

United States vs China - Bronze Medal
The first archery medal of the London 2012 Olympics was decided here and both sides displayed their own level of consistency. China scored 54 in each of the first three ends with a pair each of sevens and eights to keep them chasing their opponents. For their part the American team averaged three tens in all four ends, faltering on a few occasions themselves to land arrows outside of the gold rings to keep things close.

An even first end saw both sides land in the seven but a third ten from the United States saving them from a rogue eight shot before they took the lead at the halfway stage with nothing but gold; China scrambling to recover from back-to-back eights putting them down 111-108.

The Chinese athletes pulled one back with both teams again landing in the seven and Team USA finding another eight, 164-162. Down to the final end and both teams were on song with nothing landing outside a nine, the Americans four bullseyes giving them an extra margin to claim the Bronze medals.

UNITED STATES									CHINA
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	10	7	10	9	10	8	54		1	9	9	10	10	9	7	54
2	9	9	10	10	9	10	57		2	9	10	8	8	10	9	54
3	10	9	10	7	9	8	53		3	9	10	7	9	10	9	54
4	10	9	9	10	10	10	58		4	10	9	9	9	9	10	56
Total							222		Total							218

Korea vs Mexico - Gold Medal
The Gold Medal match started with Mexico digging themselves into an early hole with only one ten and a pair of eights leaving Korea ahead 56-53. The deficit remained at three points midway through the match as both teams got into their grooves; another eight however preventing Mexico from making inroads on the scoreline.

The third end and Korea looked a little tight hitting the eight twice and they now had Mexico breathing down their necks 167-166 after another solid end from them despite yet another shot outside of the golden rings. These eights would be the story of the final with two more for Mexico taking their game total to six and they compounded the problem by only hitting a single ten for the second end in the match; Korea starting with an eight of their own but quickly regaining their composure to become Olympic Gold medalists.

KOREA									MEXICO
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	9	10	9	10	9	9	56		1	8	9	10	9	8	9	53
2	9	10	9	9	10	10	57		2	10	10	10	8	9	10	57
3	10	8	10	9	9	8	54		3	9	8	10	9	10	10	56
4	8	10	10	9	9	10	56		4	8	9	10	8	9	9	53
Total							223		Total							219

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Arrows at Gold - London 2012 Olympics, Mens Team Semifinals

Korea vs United States
These two teams put on a high-class semifinal with a single eight in the match on either side. This coming in the first end that resulted in Korea leading 56-55 with no less than eleven tens each out of their twenty-four arrows. The second end started out well for the USA as they shot off four consecutive bullseyes to take a one point lead with the teams tying the third end with another three tens per side.

Korea just edged the final end with the United States needing to hit a second bullseye in the fourth frame with their last arrow and send the game into a shoot-off. The great form would only stay with one side, Korea hitting nothing but gold while the Americans faltered ever so slightly placing them into the Bronze medal match.

KOREA									UNITED STATES
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	10	9	9	8	10	10	56		1	8	9	10	9	9	10	55
2	9	9	10	9	9	10	56		2	10	10	10	10	9	9	58
3	10	9	9	9	10	10	57		3	9	10	10	9	10	9	57
4	9	10	10	9	9	10	57		4	9	9	10	9	9	10	56
Total							226		Total							226
Shoot-Off											Shoot-Off
KOREA			USA
1	10		1	9
2	10		2	9
3	9		3	8
Total	29		Total	26

CHINA vs MEXICO
The second semifinal was another tense affair that went down to the wire despite another bad start for China that saw them score just 51 with a seven and two eights, but once again they found a way to come back with four tens in the second end tying the match after two ends 109-109.

Mexico started the penultimate end with three consecutive bullseyes but a rogue seven aided China and kept the scores level 163-163 and it was onto another nailbiting final end. China had the initiative by hitting 10-9-9 and Mexico managing 8-8-10, but another seven for the Chinese, this one coming on their final shot, opened the door for Mexico to win. Their last arrow hitting the ten and taking them to the Gold medal match against Korea.

CHINA									MEXICO
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	7	8	9	8	10	9	51		1	8	10	10	8	10	9	55
2	10	9	10	10	9	10	58		2	9	10	7	9	10	9	54
3	9	10	9	8	9	9	54		3	10	10	10	7	8	9	54
4	10	9	9	8	9	7	52		4	8	8	10	9	8	10	53
Total							215		Total							216

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Arrows at Gold - London 2012 Olympics, Mens Team Quarterfinals

Korea vs Ukraine
Team Korea easily make their way into the semifinals after their first match of the tournament, sweeping aside Ukraine by sixteen points. The victor's lone eight came in the first end while Ukraine hit a seven for a 57-54 scoreline. After that it was all gold rings for Korea extending their lead with each end while the Ukrainians struggled to keep up thanks to half a dozen eights and another seven.

KOREA									UKRAINE
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	10	10	9	10	8	10	57		1	9	10	10	9	9	7	54
2	10	9	10	9	10	10	58		2	9	10	8	9	8	9	53
3	10	9	9	10	9	9	56		3	10	8	8	7	9	8	50
4	10	9	9	10	9	10	57		4	8	9	9	9	10	10	55
Total							228		Total							212

India vs United States
Korea will face the Americans after they tried to blow their four point lead going into the final end by firing off a pair of sevens, one of which was barely enough to win the match on the final shot. India had a hard time finding the bullseye with four tens throughout, three of them coming in the second end. In comparison the United States hit six in the first half of the contest and they continued to stay just ahead after three ends despite no-one scoring a maximum.

The final end came with America leading 164-160, increasing this lead to 183-178 with four arrows per side remaining. An 8-9-10 from India pulled it back within three, USA shooting 7-9-9 and needing at least a seven to finish it off which they just about managed.

INDIA									UNITED STATES
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	9	8	9	9	9	9	53		1	10	9	9	8	9	10	55
2	10	9	10	10	9	9	57		2	10	9	10	10	10	9	58
3	8	8	9	8	9	8	50		3	9	9	9	7	8	9	51
4	9	9	8	9	10	9	54		4	9	10	7	9	9	7	51
Total							214		Total							215

China vs Italy
A terrible start from the Chinese left them facing a 56-49 scoreline after hitting a pair of sevens and no tens. Italy then found the seven in the second end while China picked it up to reverse their fortunes with four bullseyes and tie the scores 107-107. The teams remained deadlocked heading into the final end where nerves would be tested.

China had a point lead with three arrows left but could have held a match winning advantage after shooting 10-7-10 while the Italians managed 10-8-8. Both teams only found yellow rings with their final shots but Italy held their nerve to grab an extra ten over their rivals and take the match to a shoot-off where each athlete takes one final shot.

The lone ten of China was the difference maker despite starting out on a 8-9 deficit. The second arrows turned the scores around 18-17 with both ending in the nine to put China through into the final four and the chance to play either Mexico or France.

CHINA									ITALY
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	9	7	7	9	8	9	49		1	9	10	10	9	9	9	56
2	10	9	10	10	9	10	58		2	7	8	8	9	9	10	51
3	9	9	10	9	9	9	55		3	9	9	9	9	9	10	55
4	10	7	10	9	9	10	55		4	10	8	8	10	9	10	55
Total							217		Total							217
Shoot-Off
CHINA			ITALY
1	8		1	9
2	10		2	8
3	9		3	9
Total	27		Total	26

Mexico vs France
Mexico could count themselves lucky to be tied 51-51 after the first end as the third arrow scored a lowly five points as France hit the seven twice. This lifeline led to a four point lead at the halfway stage for Mexico as it was France's turn to low score hitting a six, and while the eventual winners kept their play up at a high level, France hit three more sevens to crash to a seven point defeat.

MEXICO									FRANCE
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	10	9	5	10	8	9	51		1	10	10	7	8	9	7	51
2	10	8	9	10	8	10	55		2	8	10	9	9	6	9	51
3	9	10	8	9	8	10	54		3	7	7	9	9	10	10	52
4	8	9	9	9	10	8	53		4	9	7	9	10	8	9	52
Total							213		Total							206

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