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Archers prepare for final Olympic qualifier in scorching Turkey

Archers Camerin Pickering, centre, Jaydon Roberts, left, and Bernard Wade will be looking to secure a spot for Bermuda at the Paris Olympics competing in the final qualifier in Turkey (File photograph)

Bermuda coach Ross Roberts believes the island’s archers can excel at the final Olympic Games qualifier in Antalya, Turkey.

Flying the Bermuda flag at the event will be Camerin Pickering, Jaydon Roberts and Bernard Wade, with coach Roberts feeling the archers have a good chance of securing either an individual or team spot at the fast-approaching Games in Paris.

“We have basically had the last month of more intense training where we've stepped it up a bit,” coach Roberts told The Royal Gazette.

“That's been going well and the way shooting has been going, I feel that we have a really good chance of getting our qualifying spot as far as our results are concerned.

“After that it goes to spots available and they go to the highest-ranking archers who have shot the Olympic qualifying scores. So even though we may get that qualifying score, it still doesn't guarantee us a spot until we see what the other archers that are also trying for that spot are doing.

“If we have better results than them and we are ranked higher it gives us a good chance of getting that spot.”

The Olympic qualifying score stands at 640, which Pickering has achieved on two occasions.

“Camerin has shot that twice so far in competition and Jaydon has been close to it,” coach Roberts said.

Jaydon Roberts, the youngest member of the island’s team at 18, is heading to Turkey with confidence after successfully qualifying for the Junior Pan American Games in El Salvador last month.

Pickering, Roberts and Wade will be competing in the men’s recurve competition, which will see the participants shoot 72 arrows from a distance of 70 metres at a 122 centimetre target outdoors at the Antalya Sports Centre.

As well as fierce competition, Bermuda’s archers will have to contend with challenging conditions, with temperatures forecast to reach 100F.

“We have been going online to find what is actually happening with the weather conditions,” coach Roberts said.

“The temperatures out there when we checked the three days of competition is supposed to be 98 the first day then it went up to 99 and then up to 100.

“That's what is predicted, so we are hoping the weather is a little off as far as that temperature is concerned anyway. It's going to be hot out there for sure.”

Bermuda’s archers will start their campaign in the men’s recurve qualification round and team matches on Saturday, with the final of the latter event also taking place the same day.

The individual eliminations and finals in the men’s recurve will be held on the final day of the tournament next Monday.

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Published June 11, 2024 at 7:59 am (Updated June 11, 2024 at 7:14 am)

Archers prepare for final Olympic qualifier in scorching Turkey

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