Archery kicked off early at the Paris 2024 Games, with both Virginie Chénier and Eric Peters taking to the field at Les Invalides for the qualifying round.
The qualification round has all athletes shoot a total of 72 arrows, to earn a score that is then used to determine their rankings for the elimination matches. In a 72 arrow round, archers can earn a maximum of 720. For team rounds and mixed teams, the scores of the competing athletes are then combined to give a total score used to determine the brackets.
Virginie Chénier took to the field first for the Canadian team in the morning session. Coach Ron van der Hoff said of her performance today: She {Virginie] can be proud. She was physically and technically so strong and her mental game was picking up pace.”
Virginie finished with a total score of 649, ranking her 33rd overall. “We are so excited to prepare for the stage matches now. Very curious to see how she will do!” finished van der Hoff.
Chénier’s team mate, Eric Peters then took the Les Invalides in the afternoon session with the men’s field. While the weather became a bit rougher in the afternoon, it created a bit of a challenge for the men’s field. He finished qualification with a score of 659, ranking in 36th.
“We, as a team and with Eric, know he is capable of shooting a better score. However, we followed our plan, and the outcome is what it is. The conditions were more challenging than in the morning, but that was the same for everyone.’ said Coach van der Hoff. He continued, “We have several days to develop a new plan for the individual stage matches. Despite the setbacks, there are still exciting opportunities in his bracket.”
Eric and Virginie now have a few days off to prepare for the elimination matches. Unfortunately, the Mixed Team field was cut to the Top 16 teams, and Canada missed out advancing in the Mixed Team matches. “Regarding the mixed team event, we knew it would be difficult to qualify comfortably and avoid a tough first match. We’re disappointed that we don’t have a shot at it now, but we’ll have to deal with it and move forward.” said coach van der Hoff.
Peters will head to Les Invalides again for his first match against Ilfat Abdullin of Kazakhstan on July 30th at 1:00 pm EST (estimated). Chénier’s matches will begin on Aug. 1, against Rezza Octavia of Indonesia at 12:45 pm EST (estimated)
Schedule:
Men’s Eliminations Rounds – July 28th – 1:00 pm EST
Womens Elimination Rounds – Aug. 1 – 12:30 pm EST
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For more information, please contact:
Karl Balisch
Executive Director
Archery Canada
kbalisch@archerycanada.com