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Toronto 2015 preview: Archery
The two-day archery competition will feature 30 athletes competing in eight medal events. 06 Aug 2015
American archer Matt Stutzman at the Royal Artillery Barracks.
Competition dates: 9-10 August
Venue: Varsity Stadium
Athletes: 30
Medal events: 4
Tickets: Adults CAD 20 / U16 & 64+ CAD 15
Three athletes to look out for
Matt Stutzman (USA)
The “armless archer” won silver at the London 2012 Paralympic Games in the men’s individual compound open and became a global sensation. In 2014 he achieved top-two finishes in every international event he entered.
Jose Antonio Baez (Mexico)
Baez won gold in the men’s individual recurve four years ago on home soil in Guadalajara and will be hoping to repeat the feat in Toronto.
Kevin Wells (Canada)
Wells is a two-time world champion in the sport who currently holds four world records. He won a gold medal at the Guadalajara 2011 Parapan Am Games in the men’s individual compound –open.
The sport
The sport is open to athletes with a physical impairment such as spinal cord injury or amputee. A test of accuracy, strength and concentration, the recurve archer shoots at a target 122cm in diameter 70m away from the shooting line, while the compound archer shoots at a target of 80cm in diameter 50m away from the shooting line. Both bows are used during the para-archery event. Athletes may shoot from a standing position or a wheelchair.
Para-archery is fully integrated by the International and National Federations, and competitions will often involve both athletes with a disability and able-bodied athletes.
The venue
Varsity Stadium is at the heart of the University of Toronto campus and home to many athletic teams.
Since 1911, it has hosted professional and international championships in athletics, soccer, Canadian football and even a Montreal 1976 Olympic Games soccer match
Concentration, focus, strength and a steady hand are required as arrows reach speeds up to 225mkm/h in their path toward the 12cm ring in the centre of the target.
Thirty athletes across three classifications will compete in eight medal events.
Gates open 90 minutes before competition.
Click here for a spectator map.