The barebow finals were preceded on Saturday by the mixed team medal matches in both compound and recurve.
The USA’s formidable compound frontline took another gold medal, as the mixed team of Alexis Ruiz and James Lutz had too much for the Guatemalan pair of Danica Fránces Barrera Arana and Julio Alfredo Barillas Aragon, leading from the front and winning 157-154 on the finals stage.
It was a title defence for the USA, who won in 2024 with the pairing of Ruiz and Isaac Sullivan.
Recurve mixed team also saw the USA in action, but the pairing of Jennifer Mucino and Brady Ellison, after taking the first set with a 39, could not find a groove against Matias Grande and Alejandra Valencia, who delivered what was needed in front of a home crowd and gave Mexico its second gold of the tournament.
It was, extraordinarily, Valencia’s seventh Pan Am Championships gold and her 13th medal overall, the first one won 16 years ago in Guadalajara.
Both Grande and Ellison return to action in the individual competition on Sunday, where Grande has a chance to defend his title from Medellin 2024.
The competition continues with individual finals on Sunday. You can watch the action from Tlaxcala with a subscription to archery+.
