Crispin Duenas

Lore & Background

Duenas began his Olympic career at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he finished the ranking round with 664 points, seeding 16th. In the first knockout round he faced Magnus Petersson; both scored 108 in the regular match, forcing an extra round in which Duenas scored 18 points to Petersson's 19, eliminating him. He also competed in the team event with John David Burnes and Jason Lyon; the team ranked 11th after the ranking round and lost to Italy 219–217 in the first round. Italy went on to win the silver medal.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Duenas competed only in the men's individual event. He shot 678 in the ranking round, seeding 8th, but lost to Ahmed El-Nemr in the first knockout round. In 2016, he shot 669 to seed 18th, defeated Marco Galiazzo of Italy in the first round, then lost to Zach Garrett of the United States in the second round.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Duenas seeded 16th with a score of 665 and reached the third round, where he lost to Florian Unruh of Germany, finishing 9th overall. This was Canada's best showing in archery at the Olympics since 1976.

Reader's Guide

Crispin Duenas's career spans four Olympic Games, making him a fixture of Canadian archery on the world stage. His bronze medal at the 2013 World Archery Championships in the men's individual recurve event represents a peak achievement in international competition, alongside a bronze at the 2010 Pan American Championships. His Olympic trajectory shows consistent qualification and gradual improvement: after first-round exits in 2008 and 2012, he reached the second round in 2016 and the third round in 2020, achieving a 9th-place finish that marked Canada's best Olympic archery result since 1976. Beyond the Olympics, Duenas set and broke national records in the FITA round in 2007, anchored the Canadian men's team to an 8th-place finish at the world championship that year (qualifying the team for Beijing), and placed 6th at the El Salvador World Cup. His academic background in physics and education from the University of Toronto underscores a dual commitment to sport and scholarship. Duenas's longevity and consistent presence at the highest levels of recurve archery establish him as a key figure in the sport's history in Canada.

Did You Know?

• He won a bronze medal at the 2013 World Archery Championships in men's individual recurve.
• His 9th-place finish at the 2020 Olympics was Canada's best archery result since 1976.
• In 2007 he broke and re-broke national records in the FITA round.