Wills and Terry competed for Britain at the Beijing Olympics

Great Britain's archers suffered individual and team heartache at the World Indoor Championships in Poland despite impressing in qualifying.

Simon Terry was ranked number one after scoring 593 out of 600 in qualification but he lost his quarter-final to Jean-Charles Valladont of France 116-118.

National champion Alan Wills qualified 11th out of 32, but lost in round one, while Michael Paert made the last 16.

The trio were beaten in Sunday's bronze medal play-off in the team event.

They were ranked number one going into knockout stages and received a bye to the quarter-finals, where they beat Russia 235-230 to set up a semi-final against Italy.

Both teams were tied on 234 after their initial 24 arrows, but the Italians won the three-arrow shoot-off 29-25 to advance to the final, where they were beaten 233-227 by the USA.

And Britain had to settle for fourth place after Mexico dropped just four points to take the bronze by a margin of 236-232.

Britain's women also failed to reach the medal matches in their individual competition in Rzeszow.

606: DEBATE GB are not perhaps the best individually, but as a team, they are certainly up there. Oswyntail

But she was beaten by Italy's Natalia Valeeva, who qualified second and is the 12-arrow world record holder, 118-112 in the last 16.

Vladlena Priestman bowed out in the first round, beaten by 117-108 by the Netherlands Coby Hurkmans while Emma Downie failed to reach the head-to-head rounds after scoring 511 in qualifying.

France's Berengere Schuh broke the women's 12-year-old indoor world record with a score of 592 in qualifying first for the knockout stages, but she was beaten in the semi-final.

There was better news in the non-Olympic compound event where the British women's team of Rikki Bingham, Lucy Holderness and Nicky Hunt won a silver medal after they were beaten 232-226 by the USA in the final.

Holderness missed out on a bronze medal in the individual competition by the narrowest of margins.

She tied on 117 with Erika Anschutz and although they both scored 10, 10 and nine in the shoot-off, the American won because her nine was closer to a 10.

The men's team of James Bingham, Duncan Busby and Andrew Rikunenko picked up a silver in the team compound final after they too lost to USA.

There was no disgrace in losing though as the American's scored a perfect 240 to set a new world record.

"They were simply amazing," said Britain's performance manager Barry Eley.

"It was awesome, but credit to our three lads, who themselves shot superbly.

"A silver medal is just reward for their efforts over the past five days."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version