Worth hits targets for personal best 27 July 2012

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• Australian Athlete Liaison Officer Steve Waugh gets an archery lesson from Austr... © Paul Gilham / Getty Images

ARCHERY: With a new personal best score, Australian archer Taylor Worth has placed 23^rd in Friday’s men’s ranking round, to set up a battle of the Ashes against Great Britain’s Alan Wills in the first round match on the centre of Lords next Wednesday.
It was an action-packed ranking session at the Lord’s nursery, with Korea’s Im Dong Hyun breaking his own 72-arrow world record by three points with a score of 699, and along with his two Korean teammates also broke the team world record with a score of 2087.
In perfect weather conditions, 21-year-old Worth started strongly, scoring 338 after 36 arrows to sit in ninth place, and ended the 72-arrow shoot out with 668, improving his previous competition best by nine points to finish in 23^rd position.
“I was shooting really well in the morning, but in the afternoon I let my bow down and just lost a bit of my
“I was looking for a rank in the top 20 but I’m happy, it’s a competition PB for me.”
With Athlete Liaison Officers Steve Waugh and Kieren Perkins in attendance to show their support, Worth didn’t show any signs of nerves on his Olympic debut.
“I didn’t feel nervous, I felt excitement,” he said. “I was ready to compete and show the world what I’ve got.”
World number one Brady Ellison (USA) placed 10^th with a total of 676, whilst reigning Olympic champion Viktor Ruban of the Ukraine was down in 43^rd with 660.
Looking ahead to next week’s knockout competition on the hallowed turf of Lords, Worth has sent an ominous warning to his rivals.
“Ranking is completely different from match play and I feel that my match play is so much stronger than my ranking,” Worth said. “I’m going to get out there and focus and get down to work.”
Sydney teenager Elisa Barnard was in action in the women’s ranking round this afternoon, and placed 58th with a total score of 601 on her Olympic debut.

“I wasn’t as nervous as I thought, I just got on there and shot my arrows,” said Barnard. “A former Olympian told me this morning to just go out there and enjoy every arrow.”

She will now face Danish archer Carina Christiansen who placed seventh today with 663 points, in the first round of knockout competition on Monday afternoon. However the 19-year-old is not fazed about going up against a more experienced and higher-ranked opponent, and believes she has room for improvement.

“For me a draw is a draw, and a competitor is a competitor. I'm not concerned with whom I'm up against, I'm just going to get on the line and shoot to the best of my ability.”

“I've always been a dark horse in this area, I generally do rank pretty low but I can I soar through the ranks, so I'm used to going in as an underdog and giving them a run for their money.”