World Championships 2008 Report
Contents
The IFAA World Field Archery Championships took place from the 2nd to 9th April at the Heja Game Reserve near Windhoek, Namibia. It was the first time that Namibia has hosted a world championships but they did not disappoint with many experienced archers judging this year's tournament to be one of the best ever.
Mathew Symmonds of Llantwit Major Archers was the only Welsh entrant to make the journey but he made his contribution count, taking the gold in the Gents Freestyle Recurve division.
Luckily for Mathew, he was invited to stay with the Scottish team who adopted him for the duration of the tournament.
After a few days of practice and getting used to the climate, it was time to take a walk onto the Savannah. Mathew recalled "Walking the savannah was an experience in itself. The Namibians don't worry too much about the wildlife, but it certainly made me nervous during the first days of the shoot."
The Scottish team left to right: Louise Shingler, Murray Britton,
Helen Britton, Martin O'nions, Linda Sutherland, Darren Ashall, Rhys
Shingler, Pauline Ashall, Andrew Britton, Sandra Russell, Willy Marr, Bob
Tweedy, Kayleigh Ashall, Tom Russell
Round 1 was a shock to the system for all of the European and US based archers. The temperature was more than 100 degrees fahrenheit and the African Savannah provided little shelter from the sun. The courses were situated in the Highvelt, a mountainous area at an altitude of 4500 feet above sea level. The thin air and high temperatures meant that sight markings and trajectory compensations were different to normal, causing plenty of problems for those archers who were unused to the conditions. The Namibian and South African archers were largely unaffected by the conditions, proving that arriving early and having time to adjust to the conditions was well worth it.
Mathew started the first round well recording an above par first half. However, the relentless sun, high temperature and thin air began to take its toll and his shooting began to creak in the second half. Despite this, Symmonds appeared to cope better than others in his group and finished the day in first position.
Rounds 2 and 3 were shot in extremely hilly terrain and this suited the Welsh archer who extended his lead at the top, leaving only German International Steffan Otto in contention for the gold medal. Mathew commented "The courses were extremely challenging and made Fonmon look like a walk in the park. This had a huge effect on some but those of us who usually shoot on hilly courses were less affected."
Round 4 became a pressure game between the top two and again Symmonds held his nerve and pushed his lead to more than 70 points.
After a tense start in the fifth
and final round, Mathew settled in well and began building a strong score.
With the gap having increased again, Symmonds was able to relax during the
final 14 and build up his score. Meanwhile, adopted team mate, Willy Marr
of Scotland threw the formbook out of the window, denying Peter Schreiner
of Germany to take the bronze for an all-European top three finish.
Left: Calahari Bushmen, Middle: The
Oakleaf World Championship Trophy, Right: Team England
One of the more amazing features of this
tournament was the involvement of a group of Calahari bushmen. These guys
turned up at the opening ceremony to provide an insight to the competitors
into their culture. They still hunt with bows for their livelihood and
were intrigued by the bows used by the competitors. When they expressed an
interest in shooting the tournament they were provided with bows by
Namibia Bowshop. After a few sessions on the practice butts they became
proficient and then competed throughout the tournament.
The WFAA wishes to thank the SFAA for looking after our lone archer during this tournament. We would also like to thank the Jan van Blerk and the Namibian Field Archery Association for putting on such an excellent tournament. Well done and we look forward to returning to Namibia!
Left: Peter Schreiner (Germany) and Willy Marr (Scotland)
tackle a 30 yard twin
Left: Peter Schreiner tackes of 50 yard shot
across a ravine, Centre: Mathew mixing with the locals, Right: The New
Zealand Black Arrows