The American produced another superb display to beat the 598 he shot at the opening event of the season in Marrakesh.

Ellison is now set to be the top seed in the discipline, with a further two qualification sessions planned for tomorrow.

“I wasn’t really stressed but I did get nervous after the first shot,” Ellison said.

“The way I was thinking about it was I already have the world record.

“I’m ranked number one whatever I really do this end, so might as well just go up there and shoot three good arrows and keep my timing.

“It’s a lot less likely to miss if I get it off quick than if I hold too long."

The performance cemented his credentials as the favourite for victory in Nimes, which would help him move away from South Korea’s Kim Jae Hyeong on the overall standings.

Gye Dong-hyun of South Korea finished joint second with Frenchman Jean-Charles Valladont on 594.

South Korea dominated women’s recurve qualification, with Park Sehui leading the way on 591 points.

All of the top eight qualifiers all hail from the country as Sim Yeji scored 589 for second place, while double Olympic gold medallist Chang Hye-jin was third on 586 points.

Action at the event in Nimes continues tomorrow with qualification before the start of the finals.