Archery: On target for Delhi medal

Stephen Clifton has reached a world ranking of seven. Photo / Doug Sherring

Stephen Clifton has heard it all before, the ones about William Tell and the apple or Robin Hood and his band of merry men.

It's born out of ignorance.

Clifton last month won bronze at the world archery championships, becoming the first New Zealander to win an individual medal at the elite world championship level.

He now has his sights set on replicating New Zealand's most famous archer, Neroli Fairhall, who won gold at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.

The 22-year-old is in with a good shot, so to speak, at next year's Delhi Commonwealth Games. He is ranked seventh in the world and is one of only five Commonwealth shooters in the world's top 30.

"I see myself at least medalling," Clifton says confidently. So do government funding agency Sparc. They recently began backing Clifton so he can travel to competitions overseas and, while not a massive investment, it has proved important.

"At the start of the year, I was going to take a break because I travelled quite a bit last year," he says. "But then I got Sparc funding. That reignited everything. Otherwise I would have stayed at home and just shot locally."

Clifton has been New Zealand's top-ranked archer for five years. Shaun Teasdale is ranked 18th in the world but most of the time, Clifton is shooting against himself.

He got into the sport through his uncle, who took him hunting for goat and deer in the forests around Dargaville from the time he was about eight.

His competitive instincts soon took over, which saw him shoot targets more than moving, living objects.

In 2004, he won bronze at the junior world championships. In 2006, he won the Australian nationals and Commonwealth championships.

And this year, along with his world championship medal, he became the first person in New Zealand and the second-youngest worldwide to shoot a score of more than 1400 in competition - he's done it twice this year.

His world ranking of seven is the highest ever by a Kiwi but that could rise to third or fourth if he wins an event in Australia this month.

Rankings are compiled on results from particular events and Clifton has competed in the minimum four.

It's hard not to be impressed by his list of achievements but archery hardly rates a mention in the sporting consciousness of most Kiwis.

Clifton says there's a curiosity when he mentions to people what he does, if not a widespread understanding.

"It's a different profession," he admits. "I like archery. It's a passion of mine so, even if I wasn't getting paid, I would still do it.

"A lot of people don't think it's a major sport. You don't have to be fit and anyone can do it. People automatically think of the Robin Hood-type bows and shooting at a barn door with a target on it. But when you see the bows I'm shooting with and what goes on, it's a lot different."

Clifton shoots in the compound event, which is a highly technical bow with pulleys, a shorter body and a precise sight - which all allow the arrow to travel at speeds up to 300km/h. It differs from the more basic recurve bow, which Fairhall competed in, and is in the Commonwealth Games for the first time. Recurve archery is considered infinitely more difficult.

"Like any sport, having a strong mental game is key and trying to keep everything out of your head," Clifton says.

"It's all about consistency. You can be fat, short, skinny, bald, it doesn't matter. As long as you consistently do the same thing, it's going to hit in the same place.

"Someone figured out the average age for Olympic champions was 27. As I mature, my mental game might improve. I hope I get better as I get older.

"I was shaking a bit in the medal matches at the world championships. It was my first time at the event and there was a lot of adrenaline.

"I lost a bit of sleep because it was four days between qualification and the semifinals. I had four days of every scenario running through my head."

The scenarios now are very much focused on the Commonwealth Games in 12 months and shooting internationally for at least another 10 years.

It's why he spends five days a week at the crater inside Mt Albert practising at his local club. It's a curious sight for the few members of the public who venture out for a walk with the dog or a run around the mountain. But archers have courted curiosity for centuries.

Take a bow

* There are two categories in competitive archery - compound and recurve - which are distinctive by the different bows used.
* Compound is more technical but easier to do and will feature at next year's Commonwealth Games for the first time.
* Archers shoot 12 arrows, with each counting towards an overall total. A bullseye is worth 10.
* Clifton shot 117 out of a possible 120 to claim bronze at last month's world championships.