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Dublin 2016: 10 things you need to know

28 September 2016

Dublin (IRL)

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Every two years, the world best compound, recurve and barebow archers gather to fight for world titles in the discipline of field archery, awarded to both senior and junior archers, in both women's and men's events.

Here’s 10 things you need to know…

1. Biggest ever

The first World Archery Field Championships was held in Valley Forge, United States in 1969 with 153 athletes – that’s half the entries for Dublin 2016.

The year’s world championships welcomes 307 athletes from 32 countries, 61 more than two years ago in Zagreb.

Exactly 49 are compound men.

2. Barebow

As well as the competition divisions seen at target archery events, compound and recurve, the World Archery Field Championships include a barebow category.

The barebow is similar to the recurve bow, although it doesn’t feature sights, stabilisers, a clicker or other useful devices.

Barebow archers use fieldcraft and technique to master the discipline.

3. The stage

The Killruddery House and Gardens, located on the peripheries of Dublin, welcomes the 2016 World Archery Field Championships.

Three different 24-target courses, which have been set for the qualification and elimination rounds, lay through beautiful pasture and wooded areas.

Competition starts with the unmarked qualification round on Wednesday and the marked round is on Thursday. Eliminations are on Friday, team events on Saturday and individual finals on Sunday.

4. Teams

Unlike any other archery competition, the teams at field archery events are made up of one archer from each division – one compound, one recurve and one barebow.

5. Senior defending champions

The 2014 gold medallists in Zagreb:

Brady Ellison – recurve man
Lisa Unruh – recurve woman
Jesse Broadwater – compound man
Toja Ellison – compound woman
Erik Jonsson – barebow man
Lina Bjorklund – barebow woman

6. big absence

Reigning World Field Archery Champion Lisa Unruh is the only senior athlete that is not in Dublin to defend her title – Brady Ellison, Jesse Broadwater and Toja Ellison are competing.

Rio 2016 Olympic Games silver medallist Lisa admitted after the event finished that she wanted to take a short break from archery after the intense preparation that had her mind fully focused on those Games.

7. The targets

At field events, archers shoots two days of qualification, unmarked and marked. On each of the courses, targets are located at different distances, which varies depending on the bow and the categories.

Compound and recurve - senior and junior:

Unmarked: 10-55 metres
Marked: 10-60 metres

Barebow - senior and junior:

Unmarked: 5-45 metres
Marked: 5-50 metres

8. The cut

At each of the 24 unmarked and marked targets, archers shoots three arrow for a maximum of 432 points at each, 864 overall.

Only the top-16 archers will advance to the first individual eliminations that will take place on Friday 30 September, then the last eight to the second individual eliminations, until only four are left for the finals.