WAIS Individual Support Program athlete Deonne Bridger marked her competitive return to archery recently by claiming victory in the open women’s recurve matchplay in Canberra.
The dual Olympian recorded the win over a field of 90 competitors and will now compete in September’s World Championships in Korea as part of Australia’s two member team.
Having taken time away from the sport following the 2004 Athens Games, Bridger is mindful of making any bold plans, but is eyeing next year’s Commonwealth Games with a view to hopefully competing in a third Olympic campaign in London in 2012.
Speaking to the Canberra Times, Bridger commented that it took some time to find her range but the win in the two-day competition showed that she still has the competitive spark at 36 years of age.
”I was a bit rusty there for a while but I think I shot a pretty good match,” Bridger said.
”It was just good to start getting back into it and who knows, I might have another crack at the London Olympics. ”I’ve got the experience there and I’ll just wait and see how I go when I start international competition again.’
Having relocated to Perth after spending much of her professional career in Canberra, Bridger revealed other factors now influence her decisions, but the champion archer still believes her targets are in range.
”I’m a little bit older now and you’ve got things like a mortgage and family to think about as well as training full-time,” she said. ”You always go in expecting and confident you can win tournaments like this and I was just happy to shoot some good arrows and scores.”
