Bermuda’s chances of being represented in archery at this summer’s Olympic Games have been boosted after Jaydon Roberts produced the minimum qualifying score on the opening day of competition at the Antalya Hyundai Archery World Cup Stage 3 in Turkey on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old achieved the feat with a score of 643 on the way to finishing 97th of 137 archers in the men’s recurve competition at the Antalya Sports Centre.

“Jaydon shot an Olympic minimum qualifying score during this event, which improves Bermuda’s changes for a tripartite spot,” Bermuda assistant coach Trina Roberts told The Royal Gazette.

“Camerin Pickering shot our first minimum qualifying score last year in Paris.

“In 2019 we created a training programme to develop a team of archers to reach the minimum qualification score for the Olympics. At that time for men it was 630 and for women 600.

“For the 2020 Olympics the qualification scores increased to 640 for men and 610 for women, so to have two of our men achieve this is fantastic.

“We are proud of our accomplishments and are now waiting to see if Bermuda will secure a spot for the 2024 Paris Olympics when the final list of archers is announced on June 24.”

Roberts, who has already secured his spot at next year’s Junior Pan American Games in Paraguay, had a previous best score of 622, which was also a national junior record.

Also eclipsing her national junior record on the opening day of competition was Roberts’s team-mate Robin Selley.

The Bermuda High School student achieved a score of 588 in the women’s recurve competition, in which she finished 111th among the field of 126, but surpassed her previous best score of 566.

Pickering and Bernard Wade III finished 101st and 131st respectively in the men’s recurve competition, after posting scores of 642 and 596.

The local contingent competed in searing heat against some of the best archers in the world aiming at a 122 centimetre target from a distance of 70 metres.

“Team Bermuda pushed through the 95F temperatures,” assistant coach Roberts added.

“The winds were more forgiving today enabling the archers time to adjust and get off a good shot.

“The coaching team are extremely pleased with the results from these four archers today.”

At stake at the championship are individual and team Olympic berths.

“We are still waiting to see if we make it to eliminations [individual] and may not know until tomorrow,” assistant coach Roberts said. “We are still waiting to see the team results as well.”

Also accompanying the local contingent in Turkey is coach and former competitor Ross Roberts.

Pickering, Wade and Roberts went into the Antalya Hyundai Archery World Cup Stage 3 right on the back of falling short of their objective at the final world archery Olympic qualifier, which concluded at the same venue on Monday.

Pickering and Roberts bowed out in the elimination round and Wade in the qualifying round.