David Drahoninsky led the W1 men’s ranking round at the ’15 world para championships, posting a session-high score of 672 out of a possible 720 points. He had pedigree coming into Donaueschingen: David was bronze medallist at the last para worlds in Bangkok in 2013 and won in Turin, two years prior to that.
The peak of the overt 33-year-old’s career to date, though? Beijing 2008 Paralympic gold.
Much of the top of the 29-athlete deep leaderboard was populated with veterans of para competition, though the field was the biggest ever seen in the category at a World Archery Para Championships.
Second to Drahoninsky was USA athlete Jeff Fabry, who draws back his bow with his mouth, on 650, while John Walker of Great Britain rounded out the top three with 647. Home nation athlete Uwe Herter also had 647, taking the fourth seed with less 10s than Walker.
“I feel very good with how I’m shooting at the moment,” said the Czech leader at the close of the round. “And winning quite a few tournament in the build-up is always a confidence boost.”
His score in Donaueschingen was just shy of his own world-best mark of 674.
“I’m a little disappointed that I was only three points off a new world record, but there is more time to achieve that,“ he said.
The man who prevented Drahoninsky taking a second Paralympic title in the final of London 2012? Jeff Fabry, who said he’d “had a few rivals in [his] time” but that David would be the one to beat in Donaueschingen.
Fabry was down in eighth place at the halfway point in qualification, but posted a strong back 36 arrow to elevate his seeding to second.
“I shot a little below average today but it was my first proper shoot of the year,” he explained. “I have competed against John Cavanagh for years and now David is shooting very well.”
Cavanagh is the third of a trio of recent Paralympic Champions expected to be in the mix with the two leaders as a top 10 qualifier.
The 59-year-old did describe his ranking round performance as “average and downhill with the final 36”. He landed in seventh overall, lower than his high expectations after two decades of competing internationally – with a Paralympic title from Athens 2004 and a silver from Beijing 2008.
“Me and Jeff have been rivals for many years. I think over the years we have had 11 matches and he is 6-5 ahead as things stand,” said John.
“We were all square heading into London and then he beat me. Since then we have not had a match.”
Although there’s a clear history between veteran archers like Drahoninsky, Fabry and Cavanagh – one that’s likely to be adding extra chapters in Donaueschingen – the expanded competition field is sure to reveal some tough challengers.
“There will be some strong archers performing this week, so when the match-ups come, it’s going to be quite close either way,” John concluded.
