Olympic Archery
Did you know that Olympic archery has a long history? While many are not aware of this sport, those within it couldn’t be more proud of how far this sport has come.
The very first Olympic archery competition was held at the 1900 Summer Olympics. Since then, eighty three different nations have stepped up to the field to participate. Out of those eighty three nations, France has competed eleven times thus far. This competition usually consists of men’s individual and women’s individual competitions, though some Olympics did not contain this sport at all. Over the past few decades, this sport has been included and taken out of the games numerous times. Today, the sport remains a part of the games.
Modern competitions consist of men’s individual, women’s individual, men’s team, and women’s team events. During these events an archer must stand 70 meters away from the target at all times. During this competition sixty four archers compete in total, and each archer gets to shoot seventy two arrows. As the archers compete, they are ranked according to score. After each round, the highest scorers remain on top while the lowest scorers are eliminated. There are no second chances in this game; those that win do so because they are the best.
In order to compete in Olympic archery, one must be immensely talented. It is not enough to hunt animals with a bow. Instead, these archers must be able to hit targets that others would find impossible. Since this sport does not allow for any mistakes, the archers that compete in these games are under a large amount of stress. Have you ever watched this competition before? If not, tune into the summer games as the worlds’ best archers go head to head – you’ll soon see a lot more than the arrow start to quiver.
Make no mistake about it – this sport is difficult. Those that bring home gold truly deserve this prestigious gift. In every manner, archery is the one sport that requires ultimate concentration, energy, and precision. Most of these archers begin holding a bow when they are small, which is why it is important to begin shooting while you are young.
If you think you are a great archer, consider Olympic archery. Just remember that you will be competing against the best archers on the planet – in short, victory will be no small feat.