Hector McNeilly competing at the World Archery Youth Championships. Photo / World Archery
If you were to ever come across Nelson teenager Hector McNeilly, it’s likely he will either have an archery bow or a camera in hand.
That’s because the 17-year-old has high aspirations with both tools to forge a successful career – and he is already on track to achieve that.
Last month, McNeilly finished second in the Under-18 Compound division at the World Archery Youth Championships in Winnipeg, Canada – his best international result to date and New Zealand’s first silver medal in the event’s history.
McNeilly has held a bow since he was 5 years old and has been competing for four years.
To help fund his adventures, he started a YouTube channel, Youngbucknz, where he creates videos of hunting trips which document his hunting adventures through the rugged terrain of New Zealand.
In a sport many New Zealanders would consider niche, McNeilly is happy to be foraging his own path – and he hopes his silver in Canada can be a stepping stone for higher honours.
“It’s definitely a significant milestone for New Zealand, especially in the archery world,” McNeilly said.
“In the past, we’ve had some very good archers come through but as a smaller nation, it’s tough to find both numbers and quality.
“To be able to stand on the podium and represent New Zealand is a proud moment. It’s taken a lot of hard work, but I’m more than proud to represent my country.”
McNeilly’s moment on the podium nearly didn’t happen though. The event was thrown into disarray because of the Air Canada strike, which saw many of the 570 competitors across 63 countries lose their gear, while others didn’t make it at all.
Luckily, McNeilly and other Kiwi competitors didn’t book their flights with Air Canada, so they were unaffected, but the delays forced organisers to compress the event into two days.
McNeilly dominated qualifying and advanced to the final against Germany’s Simon Moritz, where the two battled it out in horrid conditions for archery, including heavy rain and strong winds.
The decider came down to fine margins and during a big gust of wind, McNeilly had to shoot and it missed. That proved to be the difference with Moritz winning 139-130.
“The wind wasn’t easing, so I had to take the shot,” McNeilly said. “The arrow missed the target by a couple of centimetres, but that’s the game, you’ve only got so much time and sometimes the conditions win.
“My eyes were on gold for sure and while the podium is a great result, I was aiming higher.
“There was a bit of disappointment at first, but once it settled in, I felt proud to be up there representing New Zealand.”
McNeilly competes in compound archery, a discipline that uses a more modern bow design with cams and higher draw weights compared to the traditional recurve bows seen in Olympic competition.
Compound is joining the Olympics in 2028, but only as a mixed teams event, so McNeilly admits qualifying could be challenging.
In archery, the competitors shoot outdoors with the targets 50m away on an 8cm, 10-ring board. The goal is to score the perfect 10 every time.
McNeilly is looking forward to what the future holds. He will be competing in the open division and has been offered scholarships from some American university archery programmes.
“The competition is stronger, there are more events and you can even earn money from shooting,” McNeilly said. “In New Zealand, opportunities are much more limited.
“Archery has been a huge part of my life. I’ve competed for the last four years, putting in a lot of time and effort to improve.”
He also plans to keep growing his social media presence and keep up with his hunting adventures.
After his silver medal exploits, he remained in Canada and did some exploring and hunting, shooting his first elk in Alberta.
Having a bow in hand or a camera making films is what makes McNeilly happy.
“I’ve had a bow in my hand since I was about 5, starting out hunting with my dad.
“At first, I never shot anything, but I loved the challenge of trying to make a good shot. That’s what drew me into archery, the difficulty, the repetition and the mental side.
“Over time, I moved into tournaments and now shoot more at targets than animals.”
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.