Meet the 18 Australian archers shooting for glory at the World Youth Championships in Ireland
Australia’s next generation of archers have been pounding the targets in preparation for next week’s World Youth Championships in Ireland. Meet the 18 Aussie stars shooting for glory in Limerick.
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They’ve joined forces from Adelaide to the Sunshine Coast and plenty of places in between. Now the best young sharpshooters in the country have taken flight to Ireland for the World Archery Youth Championships.
With a revamped pathways program, Archery Australia’s largest ever squad for a world youth champs will take to the range when the seven-day competition gets underway in Limerick on July 3.
Featuring compound and recurve categories, the team of 18 will compete in U18 and U21 divisions in both individual and teams events.
Meet the country’s next generation of archers eyeing glory in Ireland.
U21 COMPOUND FEMALE
ALYSSA MOLLEMA (WARRINGAH ARCHERS, NSW)
With 11 years already under her belt, Alyssa has left nothing unturned in preparation for her second and final world youth champs.
Blessed with a floodlit range at home, she’s no stranger to peppering targets well after the sun has gone down. Grateful for her mother’s inspiration and sacrifices, this Northern Beaches archer dreams of reaching the top 10 in her age group and representing at the 2025 World Championships in Korea.
ANNA TWINING (EDEN FIELD ARCHERS, SA)
Comfortable under pressure, Anna continues to prove herself at every level. In 2021 she won the female compound in the cadet category at the National Youth Online Championships, and earlier this year won gold at the 2023 World Oceania Championships.
SOPHIA SOUTHALL (YERING DISTRICT ARCHERS, VIC)
From the Yering District Archers club on the outskirts of Melbourne’s east, Sophia was introduced to the sport after accompanying her father to the range as a 12-year-old.
Now 17, her rapid rise through the ranks includes being crowned the 2022 Australian U18 female champion.
U21 COMPOUND MALE
MITCHELL CAMPBELL (SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK ARCHERS, NSW)
A must for the team bus, with more guitars than bows Mitchell has been strumming a six-string for longer than he has fired arrows.
On the battlefield, the second-year uni student’s favourite memory is making his first junior rep team for NSW at a freezing and wet 2017 Youth Nationals.
Picked up silver at this year’s Trans Tasman Challenge in the male compound.
ALBAN THORNYCROFT (COAST ARCHERS, NSW)
A one-time rock climber, Alban was introduced to archery alongside a host of fellow homeschoolers on the Central Coast.
Now mentored by Craig Hair, he has been shooting competitively for over three years. Often asked if he starred as Legolas in Lord of the Rings, don’t be surprised if this Orlando Bloom lookalike is caught signing autographs while on the streets of Limerick.
U18 COMPOUND FEMALE
LILY AZLI (ADELAIDE ARCHERY CLUB, SA)
The young Adelaide based archer is starting to peak at the right time. Arrives in Ireland after claiming silver at the 2023 World Oceania Championships.
LIEZEL-MARIE ROUX (SAMFORD VALLEY TARGET ARCHERS, QLD)
A 15-year-old on the rise, Liezel-Marie’s time on the range is split between the Century Archers Club at Sumner and Samford Valley in Brisbane’s leafy northwest.
She currently holds 10 Australian records in the Cub and Intermediate categories, which also includes distance records.
U18 COMPOUND MALE
JOSHUA TURNER (EDEN FIELD ARCHERS, SA)
Missing three muscles in his leg due to a rare genetic condition prevented Joshua from competing in running sports, but it hasn’t stopped his rise up the archery ranks.
Shooting since his early primary school days, the young South Australian continues to develop on the back of advice from Jay Moylan, one of his favourite Aussie archers.
U21 RECURVE FEMALE
ELLA-ROSE CARSON (ARMIDALE ARCHERS, NSW)
Ella-Rose follows in the footsteps of her father who also attended the youth worlds ‘back in his day’. Now in her ninth year of archery, the Aussie pathways talent competed in the gold medal match at last year’s Australian Open.
Lists Columbian compound archer Sara Lopez as her favourite, and as a qualified Zumba instructor she’s always up and about even when it’s down time.
U21 RECURVE MALE
PATRICK WILLIS (SUNSHINE COAST ARCHERY CLUB, QLD)
An ex-basketballer with six years’ experience on the bow, this 19-year-old is taking a gap year before hitting the books at QUT in 2024.
Busier than ever, Patrick goes to the gym six times a week and fires 600 to 700 arrows. Favours match play competition because ‘its quick and puts you directly against another competitor’.
GIORGIO VASILIADES (SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK ARCHERS, NSW)
Giorgio’s grandfather competed in weightlifting at the 1972 Munich Olympics, and all going well, this young archer could follow in his footsteps on the global stage.
In just under 10 years, he has broken numerous state and national records and last year won gold in the U21 recurve mixed team match play.
JAI CRAWLEY (FRANKSTON ARCHERY CLUB, VIC)
Vision of the Australian men’s team claiming bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics was enough to inspire this Victorian. In the years since, Jai has mixed with the best on the world stage at events held in Korea, Paris and Turkey.
Loves competing alongside others and scored bronze in the teams event at the 2021 Australian Open.
U18 RECURVE FEMALE
MAJA KECSKES (WARRINGAH ARCHERS, NSW)
One of the youngest in the team, the 14-year-old has been competing for almost seven years, shooting upwards of 30,000 recorded arrows and just as many in practice.
Heads to Ireland at the top of her game following a gold medal winning performance at the Oceania Championships.
JESSICA LLOYD (SUNSHINE COAST ARCHERY CLUB, QLD)
Since shooting her brother as a prank with a toy bow five years ago, Jessica hasn’t looked back. Now with an eye on global competition, she enjoys the mentorship at club training from Olympic bronze medallist Ryan Tyack.
A genuine all-rounder, the Queenslander has played more than 23 sports including rugby union, volleyball and horse riding. She won gold at the 2023 World Archery Oceania Championships.
AMMRUTHA VASHETHARAN (ADELAIDE ARCHERY CLUB, SA)
Still only 15, Ammrutha revels in complexity. An avid swimmer who loves butterfly, she has been on the range for seven years and loves the work of Korean Olympic gold medallist Choi Mi-sun.
U18 RECURVE MALE
MARCUS YIU (SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK ARCHERS, NSW)
One of four in the squad from Sydney Olympic Park Archers, Marcus also holds a Korean Taekwondo black belt.
A volleyball player of note at Chatswood High, he was once awarded Hong Kong’s best junior (Years 7-8) archer award and down the track would like to be an Olympian.
BRANDEN TSE (SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK ARCHERS, NSW)
Never judge a book by its cover.
As a six-year-old with eyes that appeared slightly crossed, a career among targets couldn’t have seemed further away.
Now eyeing LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032, this budding physiotherapist is one to watch as he pursues a calmness and technique to match South Korean legend Kim Woo-jin.
CHRISTOPHER JACKSON (CANBERRA ARCHERY CLUB, ACT)
A fan of American recurve specialist Brady Ellison, archery is the only sport Christopher has taken seriously.
The self-confessed introvert enjoys spending time alone and trains for 24 to 36 hours each week. In addition to firing arrows, he incorporates mental training into his strength and conditioning work. Won gold at the 2023 World Archery Oceania Championships.
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