On his first visit to India, USA’s World No. 1 recurve archer Brady Ellison is turning heads at the inaugural Archery Premier League (APL), representing the Chola Chiefs franchise. Ellison has achieved almost everything in the sport — except the Olympic gold. Yet, at this stage of his life, that elusive medal no longer defines him.
It doesn't matter if I never shot another arrow; my kids are still going to love me.
“It (Olympic gold) used to be all I wanted, to be completely honest… It would be nice to finally become an Olympic champion. But at the same time, now that I'm a father and I have two kids, winning a gold medal at the Games has zero importance.”
Five Olympic Medals, Countless Lessons
Ellison’s résumé is staggering — five Olympic medals, including an individual silver and mixed team bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Those came eight years after his double-medal haul in Rio 2016, where he won an individual bronze and a team silver. His first Olympic success dates back to London 2012, where he earned another team silver.
I feel like I was always decent with the bow, even when I first started. And I think that's why I stuck with this sport over all the other sports I played.
From Pain to Healing
Post-Rio, Ellison faced one of the toughest battles of his career — a chronic condition that caused debilitating pain in the fingers of his drawing hand. Doctors advised him to quit. Then came a turning point, thanks to his wife, former Slovenian archer Toja Ellison, who took him to Slovenia to see a bioenergeticist.
I went to specialists, I tried everything. They said if it’s that big of a problem, just quit (archery) — and I almost did.
What happened next felt almost miraculous. “We actually went there (to Slovenia) for him to look at my thyroid and help with that. We didn’t even tell him about my hand. But he pointed out that he could see there was an injury. He worked on my thyroid, on my hand, and on some other things he saw. It was just three days. I returned home and could suddenly shoot 300–400 arrows again. My hand has never hurt since that moment.”
2019: A Year of Perfection
What followed was Ellison’s most remarkable year yet. In 2019, he won his fifth Archery World Cup Final and set a world record 702 points in a recurve ranking round. His average score per arrow that year — 9.52 — remains the highest of his career.
Archery Premier League: A Fresh Challenge
Fast forward to the present, and Ellison is soaking in the Indian experience — and the APL’s unique format. “It’s been only three days here and I’m blown away by the Indian hospitality,” he said. “The APL is tough — the time-clock format is the hardest thing we’ve had to shoot. It’s hard, it’s difficult, but it’s a lot of fun. And it’s interesting.”
In the race-to-five-points format, both compound and recurve archers compete — shooting at targets 50 and 70 metres away respectively. Each team of four archers must shoot eight arrows in 120 seconds, giving each player just 15 seconds for two arrows.
I read the rules and thought, ‘120 seconds for eight arrows? That must be a typo!’. How in the hell are we going to do this? But I love this league. I think it’s a fascinating concept.
The Archery Premier League runs from October 2 to 12 at Delhi’s Yamuna Sports Complex, marking a bold new experiment in the sport — one that even the world’s best finds refreshingly challenging.
