Prowse scored 1268 out of a possible 1440 points during compound men's qualification, shooting alongside able-bodied and open competitors, in Lilleshall, UK to break his own VI2/3 world record by 30 points.
The record was shot on 5 June and officially ratified on 13 June.
“It is fantastic news to hear that I have set another new world record," said Prowse. “I was pleased with beating my previous record by 30 points, but in practice I have gotten close to 1300, which I am setting as a target for this year.”
Prowse is the reigning World and European Champion in the VI2/3 category. He won the world title on his birthday at the Donaueschingen 2015 World Archery Para Championships, then added the continental crown in April 2016.
“We learned a lot at the World Archery Para European Championships this year, where the conditions were extremely challenging,” he explained. “It identified some issues with the tactile stand so we have been working on several specific things, which have improved the consistency and the scores.”
This year, Steve also won the inaugural International Visually Impaired Archery Tournament in the French city of Saint Herblain in February, an indoor event that gathered 19 archers from four countries.
Visually impaired divisions were reintroduced at world competition for the 2015 World Archery Para Championships. In Donaueschingen, visually impaired athletes competed for world titles for the first time since 2009.
Steve Prowse won the visually impaired event at the world para championships when it was organised by the International Paralympic Committee back in 2007, the year he made his international debut after starting archery in 1999.
There had been visually impaired competition at the worlds two years prior and it was again featured in 2009. After that, it was dropped from the programme due to constrictions in classification and demand – but, six years later, it was announced that visually impaired archery would be returning to the World Archery Para Championships.
There are two competition categories in visually impaired archery: VI1 and VI2/3.
Athletes competing in VI1 must wear blindfolds or black-out glasses while competing. Both VI1 and VI2/3 athletes use tactile sights and are permitted an assistant sitting or standing one metre behind the shooting line.
The assistant relays information about the position of arrows in the target, safety issues and helps with scoring.
