Sixteen-year-old Savannah O’Donohue from Louisiana was the only compound archer to go unbeaten in the competition, taking three under-18 medals: team, mixed team and individual.
Her success wasn’t completely out of the blue – three years ago she won two medals at the 2022 Youth Pan Am Championships, also in Canada, and she took silver in the same championship two years ago in El Salvador.
But her performance in Winnipeg was extraordinarily composed, whether ranking first, leading out her team, or winning the mixed team event easily. Her dominant final against Prithika Pradeep of India belied her years.
“I just really wanted to come here and leave it all out on the stage,” she said after the final. “Usually it kind of sinks in when we go home, but I’m just really trying to live in the moment and treasure this.”
Not what you’d expect to hear from a 16-year-old? It seems likely we’ll see the ambitious O’Donohue competing at senior level for the USA soon.
