Top 10: Pictures from the 2016 Olympics

World Archery’s official photographer, Dean Alberga, has been travelling to archery events for over 10 years. Rio 2016 was his third Games, after Beijing and London – and another opportunity to capture the passion, excitement and intensity of Olympic archery.

Here are his 10 favourite images from Rio 2016…

1. Moody

A first-round match between Zach Garrett and Haziq Kamaruddin brought moody skies. Garrett won the match in straight sets.

2. Champion

Probably the most outgoing of the current Korean squad, Ku Bonchan powered his way to the Olympic title in Rio, overcoming a number of shoot-offs and high-pressure matches in the process. However relaxed he is away from the line, a picture of him shooting always captures the focus with which he competes.

3. Family

Patrick Huston’s family flew from Great Britain to watch him compete. Huston lost to Ku in the second round. His mother and father met him outside the call room after he left the field.

4. Team 1

The Korean men’s performance in the team final was exceptional. Sets of 60, 58 and 59 points gave the Korean athletes a 6-0 victory – one of the most convincing in Olympic history.

The USA shot well. Korea just shot better.

5. Team 2

One day after the Korean men took gold, the Korean women did, too. The first thing the girls did after taking the match? Walk over to their male compatriots for high fives…

6. Emotion 1

…of course, that was after the emotion of winning Korea’s eighth consecutive team title in a row at the Games had sunk in.

7. Youngest

Sixteen-year-old Ricardo Soto, the youngest archer on the Rio field, finished ninth. In this picture, he’s drawing his arrows from the target during qualification.

No matter age, background or nationality, at the Olympics, the field is equal.

8. Team 3

The dynamics in the team competition are fascinating to capture. This is the Brazilian men at the end of their first-round match.

9. Emotion 2

What would you do if you won an Olympic title?

10. Team 4

Not a full team, but two of the three teammates that won team silver in Rio. Brady Ellison had to beat Jake Kaminski (pictured) and then the third of the three, Zach Garrett, on his road to the finals.

Ellison finished third.

The archery competition Rio 2016 Olympic Games ran 5-12 August in the Sambodromo.

Compétitions