Perfection is all that matters when young archer aims at a target
A young archer from Pretoria has established himself among the best in the world with his achievements in international competitions.
Being competitive in archery requires dedication, consistency and the ability to perform under pressure.
19-year-old Tuks student, Rynhardt van der Merwe, ticks all three boxes and he has proven this with his participation in European tournaments.
Van der Merwe won silver medals in the under-21 division of the Central European Cup Tournament and the European Youth Cup (Leg 2). His scores of 702 out of 720 and 148 out of 150 at the Youth Cup are possibly African under-21 records, but it still needs to be confirmed.
His performance during the World Cup event in Antalya, Turkey, is more remarkable. Van der Merwe competed against the best of the best and finished in joint ninth place.
The competition was won by France’s Nicolas Girard, number three in the world rankings for compound archers. Mike Schloesser from the Netherlands (second in the world rankings) was joint fifth. India’s Rishabh Yadav, currently ranked fourth in the world, and the USA’s James Lutz, currently ranked fifth, also participated. Joining Van der Merwe in ninth place was Nico Wiener from Austyria, who is ranked sixth in the world.
Van der Merwe first took aim at a target with a bow and arrow when he was seven years old. At the age of eight, he began participating in competitions. It didn’t take him long to start winning and to date he has won 15 national titles in various competitions.
Photo: Reg Caldecott
Like most South African boys he played rugby and cricket and he even wrestled, but he didn’t really feel a passion for these sports.
“I don’t like contact sports. I don’t see the point of running into people. However, my father wanted me and my siblings to all participate in sports. After I was introduced to archery in primary school, I tried it out and before long I was hooked,” he explained.
The precision required in archery is what attracted the Tuks archer to the sport.
“I’m a perfectionist. With archery, your equipment and technique have to be perfect. I love striving for perfection. I fully realise that total perfection is unattainable, but that doesn’t stop one from trying. I like to play with the equipment in an attempt to get the best results from the bow and myself,” he remarked.
Archery requires absolute focus and before a big competition, Van der Merwe will sometimes practice two hours a day for five days straight.
“I always say that if you really want to do well in a competition where you have to shoot 72 arrows, then you have to be able to shoot 100 arrows comfortably during practice. Physical fitness in archery is also important. It requires strong back, arm and abdominal muscles. In short, your core needs to be strong because it’s important to be as stable as possible when you shoot. With every arrow you shoot, you are pulling back 26 kilograms as you draw the bow,” he concluded.
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