Archery NZ 2024 International Programme Underway

Archery NZ has selected a strong team to compete in the World Archery Oceania Continental Qualifying Tournament (CQT) in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland in March. The tournament will determine which Oceania country will win the individual men’s and women’s places for Paris ’24. The athletes still need to shoot the World Archery qualifying scores before being nominated to their respective Olympic associations who will then determine the final selection. No guarantees, but a step in the process.

The NZ Selection Panel has selected a team of five athletes and two coaches to represent New Zealand at the event which will be staged at the Auckland club range in iconic Cornwall Park on 16th and 17th March 2024, spectators welcome.

The team has three international medal winners in Julia Harrison, Nuala Edmundson, and Finn Matheson with Harrison and Matheson joining to win gold in Teams Matchplay at the World Archery Oceania Championships in 2023 and Edmundson and Matheson wearing the fern at the 17th Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands also in 2023. Matheson (21) is New Zealand’s most experienced international archer having worn the fern since 2018 at World Archery World Cup and Continental events and Youth World Championships.

Coaches selected are Iain Hamilton (Wairarapa) and Robbie Anderson (Randwick).

World Archery Development Officer for Oceania Cushla Matheson is passionate about the development of archery across the Pacific. “Events like this are great for the visibility of the sport in our region and our athletes provide great role models showing our youngsters what’s possible in a minority sport where participation is growing exponentially. For us, competing internationally is all self-funded and expensive and the sport is strongest in the northern hemisphere where their summer is opposite to ours. But these challenges are also opportunities and it’s great to get such excellent support from both World Archery and the NZOC.”

Exciting times for archery in Aotearoa.

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