Archery: World champs in China add string to their bows

Elizabeth Randle has been selected to go to the junior world champs

Rotorua's Elizabeth Randle will have to get past more than just airport customs when she competes at the 2013 World Archery Youth Championships.

Randle, 17, has qualified for the champs in China next month after consistently peppering a target at a distance of 50m.

She will be joined by fellow Rotorua archer Marcus Barclay, 17, as they go up against the best under-17 compound archers in the world.

"This will be my second year at the youth championships. I'm looking forward to seeing all the people that I became friends with last time in Poland," Randle, a Rotorua Archery Club representative, said.

"Also to represent New Zealand is quite a big thing as well, wearing the fern."

Randle and Barclay were the only Kiwi archers to qualify for the youth competition.

Randle said one of the anxious moments about international competition was taking her bow and arrows through airport customs.

"The key is to not declare it as a weapon," she said. "As long as you don't do that, it is fine."

Marcus Barclay

Randle and Barclay will be competing in the compound discipline, which refers to the type of bow they will be using.

The compound discipline is considered more technical and accurate, while the recurve discipline involves a less modified bow and is considered the purist version of the sport.

Randle, who is a current national compound champion, said lots of practice and good stamina gave her confidence leading into the champs.

"I shoot about 100 arrows a day at the moment, seven days a week," she said.

The Rotorua Girls' High School Year 12 student said her goal was to beat her ranking from the last world youth champs, where she finished 17th overall.

Like many young archers in the sport, Randle said a Hollywood film had a part to play in getting her started with archery nine years ago.

"My brother started first after watching The Lord of the Rings. I got bored of sitting in the car and watching him, so one day I gave it a go."

Barclay, who boards at St Peter's School in Cambridge, said he was looking forward to the competition in China.

"It is my first major international tournament. I'm hoping to do well but not expecting to win as it is my first one, but in saying that it would be nice to win it."

Competition for the event begins on October 13.

The pair will be ranked in a match-play competition and a ranking round, which includes taking 72 shots at a target and adding up the points.