Archery Australia high performance pathways boss Rob Turner runs his eye over the emerging young archers on the brink of big things
While all eyes are on Tokyo 2020, there’s a new wave of archers preparing to launch their assault on the sport in coming years. So who are the names you need to know?
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They’re the emerging stars on the range – and will be the archery names you need to know in years to come.
As part of Archery Australia’s Paris 24 Pathways squad, nine archers have been selected to embark on a wide-ranging development program that will build them as athletes with and without bow in hand.
And they’re the names that could well represent Australia in Olympic Games to come.
While the men’s team for Tokyo is set and the women’s quota spot up for grabs in 2021, we take a look at the next wave of emerging talent with Archery Australia High Performance Pathways boss Robert Turner.
So just who are the athletes you need to know?
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THE EXPERIENCED HEAD – SARAH HAYWOOD
The Tasmanian has already attended a World Championships and the pre-Olympics test event in Tokyo.
Unable to qualify for the trial in Tokyo, Haywood is eyeing Paris in 2024 and has been working hard on the Apple Isle during the COVID-19 competition shutdown.
“She fits really well into our age bracket, but her commitment and that want to do well (set her apart),” Turner said.
“She’s very strong physically – one of our fittest athletes in the country. She likes hitting the gym.”
She is the only member of the Paris 24 Pathways squad that has competed at an adult World Championships, and will be well-equipped given her experience training with the national group.
“I’ve been able to focus on thinking logically with her training and getting her more consistent with the day to day requirements of shooting appropriately,” Turner said.
“She’s been really good so far in the program and I’m really excited to see what it’s like once she gets into some more physical camps and actual competitions.
“What she’s been doing in practice is right – if that happens in competition, she’ll be doing quite well nationally among our women.”
THE OLYMPIC HOPEFUL – LAURA PAEGLIS
Paeglis is one of three Australian women in the hunt for an Olympic quota spot, which won’t be confirmed until a month out from the 2021 Games.
“She’s very exciting,” Turner said.
“She’s only 18 and is in her final year of high school which she has pushed across the two years because of the Games, and she’s right in the mix right now for our Olympic position for 2021.
“She broke our national record in the Olympic trial, so it’s such an exciting thing for us to have a woman really coming up and nudging that bar.”
Paeglis, who is from Victoria, attended the 2018 youth Olympic Games in Argentina and finished in the top eight in the world youth championships.
“Even though Sarah has more experience at the senior level, Laura will be our most talented youth archer in the group,” Turner said.
“It’s quite exciting. She’s done it mostly on her own. Her father and club based coaches in Victoria have really been helping her to move to that national record level and to finish top two in the trial was quite a feat.”
THE INCOMING INTERNATIONAL – IMOGEN GRZEMSKI
An Australian citizen, Grzemski is a newcomer to the Australian archery scene having grown up in the United States.
She recently moved back to Australia, luckily to Geelong outside of Melbourne’s metropolitan area meaning she has been able to continue her training.
And fitness is a real focus for the 2019 National Field champion.
“Imogen has only shot against these girls once or twice,” Turner said.
“She moved back right at the peak of the pandemic, so had two weeks in quarantine and then went straight into her home in Victoria and more lockdown. Luckily, she’s in Geelong, so they’ve had a bit more freedom.
“She does a lot of Crossfit and is a very strong young woman, and really has blown us away with her training regime. She does some of the strongest arrow volumes per week and has been a really good addition to the group.
“She has been competing in the US system and has proven herself to be quite the shooter on that level.”
THE NUMBERS MAN – MARKUS KUHRAU
At just 22, Kuhrau has recently completed his bachelor studies and will soon embark on his Masters degree, Turner said.
But that’s not his only work in hitting the books, meticulous in documenting his strict training regime – even in COVID-19 locked-down metropolitan Melbourne, where he had been shooting in his backyard.
The German is in the process of becoming an Australian citizen, and Turner said he will soon be eligible to be part of the Australian national squads.
“Markus shoots and incredibly high volume of arrows, and he’s got his own personal trainer that he’s been working with in terms of fitness,” Turner said.
“He has exemplary bookkeeping of his training regime – he’s always counting his volume of arrows, his scores.
“He is a true technician in the sport. In his interview, it was quite clear that he was an incredibly committed athlete so that was an easy decision around motivation. He’s been fantastic.”
THE KEEN EYE – JAYMIE WOOD
The university student has represented Australia previously and has the benefit of working closely with the national outfit, Turner said.
Familiar to many at the top-level, Wood is considered an “easy selection” and real emerging prospect in the sport.
“She trains most days where our national coach and our national athletes train,” Turner explained.
“We’ve been able to see her even before we started this program and we saw that focus and capability and commitment to training.
“She was a pretty easy selection. She’s been doing really well with keeping up her training in this lockdown scenario.
“Her personal coach is Lynette Rankin-Tyack. When you’ve got an Olympic bronze medallist to look up to (in Ryan Tyack) … she’s a great addition in terms of who she gets to train with and her previous background.”
THE “THREE MUSKETEERS”
Three archers, one club, one coach. It’s a unique situation, Turner said, but the inseparable trio are all worthy additions and ones to watch.
Under the guidance of Ricci Cheah, the trio shoot at Sydney Olympic Park Archers.
“That club is quite notorious for developing quite a competitive spirit,” Turner said.
“They compete at a lot of national events.
“They all have quite a structured training set up in terms of their sessions, which is exceedingly rare in this country.
“They’re a great group who really do look to be more athletic, and not just shooting arrows.”
EDDIE UPSTON
“Eddie has been competing at our national open and national championships for many years now,” Turner said.
“He’s 6 foot 5, and is quite a strong young lad.
“He’s just finished high school, so training has taken the forefront for him in the last year. It’s worked out quite well with this program. He’s a very structured athlete in terms of how he holds his body, and we’re very excited to see with a little more structure and focus towards the Games, how he can go.”
NICK KYRIAZIS
“He’s also about 6 foot 3, and is studying psychology at university,” Turner said.
“He’s been placed on a whole bunch of national squads over the years. He’s tall, strong, structured archer that if he can get his mind in the right position, he can be a very competitive athlete.”
PETER BOUKOUVALAS
“He’s one of our most seasoned men,” Turner said.
“He was very close to reaching the qualifying score for the Olympic trials. He has competed for Australia on the Asian Cup circuit, and is very close in my mind to breaking into our national squad.
“He’s a very thoughtful guy, and is keen to join the fire department. He’s very motivated, very thoughtful guy and I can almost guarantee that in the future, we’ll be seeing his name on a national squad.”
THE YOUNG GUN – EMMA NOLAN
The Western Australian, who shoots for Yokine Archery Club, has competed closely with Paeglis in recent years and was considered to be a very worthy member of the program.
“Emma and Laura have traded blows in prior events,” Turner said.
Nolan trains under the coach who used to oversee Rio Olympian Alice Ingley, Mohamed Fadzil.
“She’s from the same squad (as Ingley) and has a very, very amazing rhythm to her shooting,” Turner said.
THE PROGRAM
The pathway program – which includes a Paralympic squad to be announced shortly – was set up to more closely define a road to the elite level.
“We definitely see the need to look at this level of athlete and try and help support them and think about what do they need to work up to the 2024 or 2028 Games,” Turner told News Corp Australia.
“We designed this program and we had more than 40 applicants for this group, which was quite impressive.”
MORE ARCHERY
Archery Australia hopeful that national competitions could be back by the end of November
Tokyo Olympics 2020: Australian female archers’ racing the clock to qualify
And it wasn’t just about results. Archery Australia used both each archers’ numbers on the range, plus psychology assessments to include motivation and commitment when selecting the nine-athlete squad.
The group has been meeting via Zoom in recent weeks and Turner is hopeful that a camp – which will encompass elements such as education sessions, training, psychology, strength and conditioning and technology – can be held in coming weeks.