Sports
San Ramon Teen a National Record-Holder in Archery
Michael DeCosta, 14, took home the gold at a recent Junior Olympics tournament in Sacramento.
Fourteen-year-old Michael DeCosta recently competed in the Junior Olympics Archery Development Nationals in Sacramento.
Michael has already set seven national records, won the World Archery Indoor in Las Vegas and holds numerous National and State titles. But his performance in the Junior Olympics outshines all his previous accomplishments.
At the nationals there are three events in which a competitor can medal.
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The scoring round, which is the total score of all arrows shot over two days, the team round, which is a team elimination round, and the Olympic round which is an individual elimination round.
In the scoring round, Michael shot a total score of 1415 – the highest score shot by any participant in the event. Michael's gold medal performance of 1415 was 52 points ahead of the second place silver medalist.
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In the team round, Michael also took the gold with teammate Todd Edgar from Georgia. The team round was tied after five rounds of shooting, the gold medal came down to a sudden-death shoot-off of three arrows per team, 30 points being a perfect score, Michael and Todd won the gold with a perfect score of 30 to the silver medal team's 29 points.
It came down to the final arrow. In the semi-final Olympic round match, Michael shot a rare and outstanding perfect score of 150.
There are five ends of shooting in this round, three arrows per end. As each of Michael's scores were posted 30,60, 90, 120, 150 the announcer kept the crowd informed that a perfect score was possible on target 21, Michael's target.
When he completed the perfect score the event was stopped for pictures to be taken of Michael and the rare perfect score. Michael continued to shoot perfect in the gold medal match, he shot a 30, 60 and a 90 before finally shooting a nine in the fourth end.
The crowd cheered him as he came back from his target after the fourth end with true appreciation of his outstanding accomplishment. Michael ended up taking the Gold Medal in the Olympic Round with a score of 147.
After all the events are completed a Grand National Champion is crowed for each division based on overall total performance. Michael not only achieved a clean sweep of all the gold medals, but he was also crowned 2011 Grand National Champion for the Junior Olympics Cub division.
At 14 years of age Michael is just below the 15-to-17-year age division that continued to shoot on Monday in the World Archery Youth Championships Team Trials, which will select the team that will represent the United States in Legnica, Poland in August.
If his performance in this recent event is any indication of what is in his future, his making the the Would Team next year looks golden.
– Reader submitted
Check out his scores here:
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