SANTIAGO, Chile – U.S. archers prepared perfectly for this week’s Para Pan American Championships in Peru with four medals from Stage 4 of the Hyundai World Archery Para Series in Chile.
There were individual gold medals for KJ Polish (pictured above) in para compound men and Jason Tabansky in W1 men. Karen Sternfeld continued her incredible upward trajectory with bronze in para recurve women, while Tabansky and Ryan Lindstrom claimed gold in W1 men’s doubles.
Polish said, “Winning gold in Santiago means a lot to me. I finished first in qualification and delivered a strong performance in the finals, coming close to the world record.
“I’m proud of the progress, but the work doesn’t stop here. My focus now shifts to the Championships in Lima this week, where I’m ready to keep pushing my limits and competing at my best.”
Polish finished as top seed by 12 points before securing gold with three dominant displays, defeating Rodrigo Dewes (BRA), 145-131, Reinaldo Vagner Charao Ferreira (BRA), 149-139, and then second seed Omar Echeverria (MEX), 148-137.
Polish will be joined in Peru by his three teammates from Chile, including recurve archer Sternfeld. She has competed in all four stages of the inaugural World Archery Para Series – Thailand, Czech Republic, India and now Chile – and her qualification score has improved with each event.
Sternfeld has gone from shooting 462 in Bangkok, to 553 in Nove Mesto, to 564 in Ahmedabad to then scoring 565 in Santiago.
“I have been doing a lot of work on my mental game and the pieces fell into place here in Santiago,” explained Sternfeld. “Having a veteran of matches in the coaches box was incredibly helpful. KJ knew exactly what to say to help keep me in the right space.”
Sternfeld lost her semifinal to eventual gold medalist Daniela Cecilia Campos Marzano (PER) before securing bronze with a shootoff win over Anda-Valentina Arghir (ROU).
Tabansky was seeded third after qualification but stepped it up another level when it came to eliminations. He triumphed 6-0 over Bastian Reyes Gamboa (CHI) before a similar scoreline against teammate Lindstrom in the semifinals.
Facing him in the gold medal match was number one seed and two-time Paralympic Games gold medalist, David Drahoninsky (CZE), with Tabansky emerging victorious 6-2. Gold for Tabansky was his seventh in a row in international tournaments, stretching back to his outstanding success in Paris two years ago!
“It’s been an amazing week with a lot of success for Team USA,” Tabansky commented. “This will push us toward great things in Lima.”
The 2024 Paralympic champion Tabansky added, “Shooting against my teammate in the semifinals was less than ideal, but I honestly thought that even if I lost, I’m still winning! That’s how much I want to see my teammate succeed and be an elite athlete!”
Lindstrom is another who is continually improving with each international experience. He was in inspired form in his opening match of the eliminations, posting scores of 30 and 29 to come from 4-2 down to beat second seed Daniel Comeau (CAN) 6-4 and set up the meeting with Tabansky. He and Tabansky had earlier set the USA on their way with gold in W1 men’s doubles on Saturday.
“It was an amazing week,” said Lindstrom. “Beautiful weather, and a great facility! I made a lot of new friends and as with every tournament I learned a lot. Fought through adversity and dominated in teams. It was an incredible experience!”
The four medalists from Chile will join 13 others in Lima, Peru for the 2026 Para Pan American Championships. This event runs from October 21-27, with quota spots available for the 2027 Para Pan Am Games, which are also in Lima, Peru next August.
Check all the scores and results from Stage 4 of the Hyundai World Archery Para Series. The fifth and final stage is in Dubai, UAE from December 5-10.
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