Zach Garrett competes in the men's archery quarterfinals at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games on July 16, 2015 in Toronto.
TORONTO -- In front of a sold-out crowd on Thursday, Team USA’s Brady Ellison and Zach Garrett advanced to the men’s archery semifinals at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.
Garrett defeated Guatemala’s Thomas Flossbach, 6-2, in the quarterfinals to earn his spot in the semifinal. Teammate Brady Ellison, the reigning Pan Am champion, quickly defeated Juan Stevens of Cuba, 6-0, in his quarterfinal match.
“I felt really good,” Garrett said. “I was able to execute my shots to the best of my ability and that’s all I can really ask for.”
American Collin Klimitchek suffered a 6-2 defeat at the hands of Canada’s Jay Lyon in the 1/8 round.
“I think it was a pretty even match,” Klimitchek said. “I had some shots I wish I could take back, but overall, so far it has been a good tournament and I’m really looking forward to the team rounds.”
All three U.S. men will compete together and contend for a medal in the team competition Friday.
If the team crowd is anything like the sold-out crowd the archers experienced Thursday, Team USA is in for a treat.
“It was crazy,” Garrett said. “It’s a distraction and I just have to get over that, but it’s really exciting to have all the people here. Especially on the qualification day, that was really cool. You don’t expect anyone to show up, but to see the stands full was really exciting.
“This makes me really excited for the Games,” Garrett said. “After this, our team is going to world championships, so it’s the same thing. It’s a good indicator and a good test of our team’s skill.”
The individual medals will be handed out on Saturday, July 18. The men will compete for their medals after the women. The lone U.S. woman to make it to the semifinals is five-time Olympian Khatuna Lorig, as the three Americans faced – and eliminated – each other in earlier rounds.
The three U.S. men finished 1-2-3 in the qualification round earlier this week.
“Just coming out and performing to the ability that I know I can perform to and see my teammates do the same, that’s been the best part,” Garrett said.
