Sole archer Jonathon Milne aims to make Australia proud at Rio Paralympics

AUSTRALIA will send its first archer in 12 years to the Paralympics, after naming Jonathon Milne in its 170-athlete squad for Rio.

Jonathon Milne ... sole archer for Australia at Rio Paralympics. Picture: Matthew Sullivan

AUSTRALIA will send its first archer in 12 years to the Paralympics, after naming Jonathon Milne in its 170-athlete squad for Rio.

Today’s announcement caps a whirlwind career for the 30-year-old from western Sydney, who only took up archery three years ago, after suffering a spinal injury in a beach holiday accident.

“I feel honoured that I get to represent Australia in the Paralympic Games, and to be the only Australian archer on the team is an amazing feeling,” Milne said.

“Rio is an opportunity to test yourself and shoot with the best athletes in the world. There isn’t a big competition in para-archery in Australia, and after placing fourth at the Worlds last year, I know I’m more than capable of competing against the best archers with similar disabilities to myself.

“My goal in Rio is to shoot my best and to continue to improve with every shot, I never go into a competition expecting to reach the podium, but with the whole country watching, I really do hope to make Australia proud.”

Milne won his way on to the team by becoming the first Australian to meet the qualifying standards for Para-archery since Athens in 2004.

He finished fourth in the compound bow open classification at the 2015 World Archer Para Championships.

Milne had dabbled in the target sport as a teen but only adopted it seriously after becoming paraplegic following a beach accident on a family holiday.

In late 2012, Milne dived under a wave and clipped his head on a sandbar, forcing a six-month rehabilitation program.

He relearned how to drive a car and walk short distances without crutches — and replaced soccer, tennis and surfing with Para-archery.

Today, Milne is Australia’s highest-ranked disabled archer, and finished fourth in a bronze-medal shootout at last year’s World Archery Para Championships in Germany.

Archery has featured at every Paralympic Games since the first in Rome 1960, and Australia has won 15 medals including three gold, nine silver and three bronze.

But an Australian has not stood on the medal podium since 1984 — and team chef de mission Kate McLoughlin said Milne had the goods to break the national drought.

“We’re so excited that Jonathon has earned his selection on the 2016 Australian Paralympic team, it’s a great boost for the sport of archery” McLoughlin said.

“Australia has a very small pool of Para-archery athletes, so to have Jonathon rise to Paralympic level is a huge testament to his dedication to sport and his drive to succeed.

“I am not only looking forward to seeing Jonathon aim for bullseye at the Sambodromo arena in Rio, but to see him help revive a Paralympic sport in which Australia has outstanding results during the earlier years of the movement.”

Athletes compete with both traditional recurve bows and mechanical compound bows.

Archery begins on September 11, day three of the Paralympic Games.

Originally published as Sole archer Jonathon Milne aims to make Australia proud at Rio Paralympics