Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 153 i Bow International

Oh boy, it was hot. Bow's editor was extremely privileged to be able to go as a member of the travelling press contingent to the Olympic Games in Japan for the duration of the archery competition. For journalists and athletes alike, there was an extensive list of things that were not permitted: getting on public transport, mixing with the Japanese public, going anywhere that was not on a pre-arranged plan, entering a bar, restaurant, or shop, and even just walking down the street. It was a strange and disorienting experience, featuring a lot of delivery meals eaten alone in hotel rooms. It was also a job conducted mostly outdoors in mostly searing mid-30s plus temperatures all day long that caused several people – including one team medallist – to keel…

In the UK, at least, shortly before the Olympics started, the bookmakers were quoting odds of ⅘ that Korea would win the women’s team title, which now looks almost absurdly generous. After the dust on the ranking round had settled and it was clear that the serious threat from Chinese Taipei had apparently faded, as the sun rose over Yumenoshima Park on Sunday morning, some were quoting Korea as short as 1/16 on. At points, even that seemed generous. No one else came even close to their level. It sometimes seemed like they were playing a different game from the other archers on the field. It was a day of unspectacular scores shot in brooding heat, dazzling sunshine and highly unpredictable, if mostly light, winds. It was also a day…

The women’s individual competition was held in a brooding, thundery atmosphere that featured visible lightning strikes just north of the field. There was a handful of surprises, some exceptional quality and a well-deserved winner, fighting through exceptionally difficult circumstances. The big hope for many – and for many reasons – was that Deepika Kumari could come through and win a first Olympic medal in archery, an event that would transform the landscape of the sport. It was not to be. Never looking comfortable on the stage, her shooting didn’t reach the kind of sustained highs that she showed earlier in 2021. Despite coming through a match against the ever-dangerous Ksenia Perova in a shoot-off, when she came up against the number one An San, the result was not really in…

Tokyo gave us some new events and new technology, but now the Olympics is done, everyone in the archery world has one city on their minds: Paris. Bow caught up with World Archery secretary-general Tom Dielen to look at what has been delivered and what is on the horizon for the biggest event in the sport. MIXED TEAM History was made as the mixed team event was shot for the first time on the first Saturday of the Games – the first archery event to award a medal. It has been part of many international competitions since 2012, and was originally intended to be included at Rio 2016 but a number of logistical and organisational issues prevented its inclusion. Several other sports added a mixed team event in Tokyo too.…

English archery traditions date back to the Middle Ages, to the Welsh and Scottish wars, to the French battlefields of Crécy and Agincourt, and to the mandates of Edward III and later kings, making archery practice compulsory for every able-bodied man throughout the realm. When the bow became obsolete as a weapon of war in the 16th century, it remained in use for hunting and for recreation in the hands of a number of enthusiasts, from those of royal and noble blood down to the common man. Then popular disciplines like roving the marks, clout, wand shooting, or shooting at the butts still echoed the military practices of old. Change came slowly, though perhaps inevitably, but archery, and in particular the longbow, have always remained part of the English heritage.…

Simon Terry, who represented Great Britain at three Olympic Games – winning two bronze medals at Barcelona in 1992 – has died at home, aged 47, from cancer. Terry, who was from Grahtham in Lincolnshire, first began practising archery when he was eight years old, and won his first competition at the age of nine. He made his Games debut in 1992, becoming the first and so far only British man to collect an individual medal for archery in the modern Olympic era, when he took bronze. Terry left the sport for 13 years but made a comeback ahead of Beijing 2008, with the aim of competing in London four years later. In Beijing, he finished his ranking round with a total of 670 points, nine points behind leader Juan…

University of Wolverhampton student Connor Rides is benefiting from an Elite Sports Scholarship to help him with his passion for archery while he studies for his degree; the same programme helped GBR Olympic team member James Woodgate boost his career in 2019. Rides, 21, from Kingswinford in the West Midlands, is in his third year of studying for a Physical Education degree at the University’s Institute of Sport, based at Walsall Campus. The University’s WLV Sport Scholarship Scheme is linked to sports recognised within the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) framework. Qualifying scholars can receive up to L4,500 over three years as well as free gym membership, access to physiotherapy, money towards travel costs and equipment, and access to mentors and coaches. Connor has been involved in archery since…

Archery occupies a unique place in the Olympic scheduling, as the only major sport that starts before the Opening Ceremony. Yes, there are always a few football pool games to allow the world’s media to say ‘the Olympics has already started’ – in this case, a rather more important statement than usual. Much had been made of the heat and humidity of Japan in summer in the buildup, and it didn’t disappoint. The ranking round, on the new, permanent field in Yumenoshima Park, was held in blazing sunshine at around 33°C in the shade. At least this was no surprise to the hosts, who had provided the field with fans, vast quantities of ice, shades for the stands and immense amounts of cold water; nevertheless, it was a tough ask…

As with the women’s team competition on Sunday, the top four – Korea, the Netherlands, China and Japan – got a bye into the afternoon quarterfinals. Everyone else had to fight for a spot in the morning, including multiple men’s team finalists the USA, who had qualified on Friday in fifth. Mercifully, the sun decided to take a break behind the odd cloud off and on throughout the day, stopping the arena becoming an inferno. It turned out that the USA’s momentum would be short-lived; they were up against Japan, who had qualified in fourth and came out punching in the quarterfinal. Brady Ellison, who had switched to middle pin of the team’s rotation with Jacob Wukie anchoring, seemed astonished that he was posting sevens and eights, and the other…

Anyone watching the Tokyo Olympic Games will have heard a highly distinctive ‘10!’ in the background, every one of them called in the arena by Marc Chavet, a genial French-American who began working with World Archery back in 2013. With a spotting scope in one hand and a microphone in the other, Marc’s job is to bring excitement and character to every sporting moment on the field. Like a few other regular event staff, he came to archery via other sports – and originally, in French rather than English. After settling for good in Paris in the mid-noughties, Chavet started working for Eurosport in French; prior to that he’d only previously worked in English as a commentator, broadcaster and announcer. "My adventure with World Archery started in 2013, when there…

It’s vital to add a ‘fun factor’ within a competition training environment, which will not only inspire children and young people but adults, too. In addition to this, I’m going to discuss training with a Shot Trainer to develop residual tension and the stability of the shoulder axis on release. Have fun with these two new training units, which you can incorporate into a session. There are several names for the archery training aid we’re going to use. Older archers might know it as a Formaster; one of the better-known modern implementations is the Astra Archery version known as the Shot Trainer. Other manufacturers have developed similar products and you can find instructions online for making your own version, too. (In this article, we’re going to refer to it as…

The last major competition before the Olympic Games, the third leg of the World Cup circuit, was held in Paris from 21 to 27 June. It was the final stage of the World Cup season before the final in Yankton, USA, this September. Charléty Stadium was the venue for all phases of the event, including the finals. The event was notable for a strong performance by Indian archer Deepika Kumari, who took gold medals in individual, mixed team and team competition. For this she was awarded a cash prize of 50 lakh rupees (approximately £48,500) from the Jharkand sports minister. Colombian archer Sara Lopez, five-time champion, finally booked a finals place by winning the individual women’s compound competition after a relatively slow start to the season. She is looking for…

On a blazing Saturday, with temperatures hovering around the mid-thirties all day long, 16 pairs from 16 nations got to try their luck in the main arena for the mixed team competition. Teams were chosen from the top scores from the ranking round and ultimately permed from a possible 30 possible pairings who shot the day before. Great Britain opened well against the rather more fancied China, but then shot indifferently against Mexico to leave at the quarter-final stage. Taipei’s troubles continued as they exited quickly to India; Germany and the ROC left quickly, as did a woeful Italy, and perhaps the biggest shock of all: the USA going down to a tightly wound Indonesia, who impressed in Paris and again today. Brady Ellison left the press zone with a…

With the team rounds done, the individual phase could begin. The structure of this was simple, to make it through to the last 16 and the final day – Friday for women, and Saturday for men – you had to win two matches, the 1/32 and the 1/16. Archers were arranged into brackets of four, from which only one would progress. The process took three long days, but ensured that all archers had their day in the sun and at least one televised match on the big stage. It is a unique feature of the Olympics that happens in no other international competition, where elimination rounds are held simultaneously. An incoming typhoon caused the competition on Tuesday to be delayed to Wednesday and Thursday, resulting in some brutally long days…

TELL US WHAT YOU DID IN TOKYO My role at these Games was as a member of the jury of appeal for archery. Basically, the jury has three members. We are there to take any appeal made by a team, or a formal appeal made by a team about a decision that they are allowed to appeal. Some things they can’t appeal, but if they are allowed to and they feel something has gone against them and it was wrong, they can make an appeal. We will then sit and use the rule book to determine how we see what has happened. We would interview all the necessary and involved people, we would review the situation. Obviously, if it happens, we have to act fast because we are moving through…