Olympics: Reading the weather

The first thing to fear is the wind. 

Four years of dreaming can be undone by something you can’t control.

Luckily here in Paris the wind conditions so far look pretty gentle, although the ranking round field is quite open and wind may be difficult to predict. But that is part of the game.

It’s maybe not the field where we will see a new world or Olympic record – but it’s not impossible.

The weather is hot, although luckily not the heatwave that some feared would overshadow the Olympics. All the international archers here are used to competing in hot conditions, and most – but maybe not all – are used to shooting in heavy rain as well, and it’s very likely we’ll see some on the field at Paris 2024. (The familiarisation session on Tuesday saw a minor deluge hit Les Invalides).

Opinions differ on what is the perfect weather for shooting. It may depend exactly where you are from.

“I like it so it’s is calm, overcast so there’s no glare, and almost drizzle, so the air is really heavy and the arrow tends not to drift,” veteran archer and coach Richard Priestman says. “You can be more certain with your aim than if it’s a bright sunny day, and the arrows tend to group really tight, a bit lower.”

The crucial ranking round on Thursday 25 July looks like it will stay dry but be cloudy and fairly hot, around 26°C in the morning for the women’s session, and nudging 29°C in the afternoon for the men.

After a short break for the opening ceremony, the recurve women’s team competition, on Sunday 28 July might see some rain, as Korea attempts to win a tenth team title in a row.

One of the women’s team rounds at London 2012 took place in torrential rain – but the Korean women’s team of Ki Bo Bae, Lee Sung Jin, and Choi Hyeonju, who had deliberately trained with an eye on British weather conditions, very much took it in their stride. (We'll definitely see some rain on Saturday during practice.)

In the second week of competition in Paris, during the individual eliminations, and the mixed team and individual finals, we’re back to a mixed bag of sun, cloud, occasional rain and possible thunderstorms. It’s gonna be very warm, too – around 28°C for much of the week.

With a full house at every session the archers and spectators will have to be ready for anything. Don’t forget, competition will continue in all weather conditions as long as lightning isn’t coming anywhere near the field.

But as usual, anyone who wants to take home a medal is going to have to face down whatever the weather is throwing at them.