PARIS, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- American archer Brady Ellison, who currently holds a world record, confirmed that he will aim to shoot at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles on Friday.
The 35-year-old veteran, who is competing for his fifth Olympics here in Paris, has had a tough journey.
Diagnosed with Legg-Calve-Perthes disease at age five and then Hashimoto's disease at age 17, Ellison was suffering a lot from nerve pain. At one point, the nerve pain going from his shooting finger up his arm made him suffer every time he fired an arrow, causing him to consider quitting the sport.
"I wasn't good enough and I wasn't at the level I knew I could be at, and it was too frustrating to do it anymore," said Ellison.
However, he did not give up. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, despite the pain, he won a silver in men's recurve team and a bronze in men's individual.
"I just love the sport. I love to compete, I love to be in front of the crowd, and that's what keeps me in it," said Ellison.
In 2018, his wife introduced him to alternative medicine which helped to cure his pain.
"Archery is not just a sport for me, it is truly my life. I have to do things above and beyond what anyone thought was possible with a bow to try to leave my legacy," said Ellison.
In the Paris Olympics, he got his fourth medal together with his teammate Casey Kaufhold -- a bronze in mixed team. Ellison said that he fortunately did not have any finger pain.
"When you've competed [that long], you have your ups and downs," said Ellison. "You have to be persistent and you have to keep at it, but you also have to be really stubborn and not have a quit button."
On Sunday, Ellison will continue to play in men's individual. "My goal is to continue at a minimum until LA [Olympic Games]," he said. ■
