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Dodemont going to 12th worlds as French compound teams unveiled

9 June 2023

Paris, France

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The French archery federation has released a list of the 11 compound archers that will represent the country at the Hyundai Archery World Championships and World Archery Youth Championships this summer.

The tireless Sophie Dodemont will lead the women’s line-up in Berlin at the beginning of August, her eighth appearance at the sport’s blue-riband event, alongside Sandra Herve and Tiphaine Renaudin.

“I’m really please to have been selected for the world championships,” she said. “That’s the main objective of the season.”

On the men’s side, world number two Nicolas Girard will make his world championship debut, with Jean-Philippe Boulch and Adrien Gontier filling up the men’s roster.

“I’m very proud to be able to represent my country wearing the colours of France,” Girard said. “I still find it hard to believe. A dream come true!”

The French compound men's team is currently number one in the world.

France is the current world number one compound men’s team.

Dodemont will celebrate her 50th birthday at the end of August just after competing at her eighth outdoor world championships – having accrued four as a recurve archer (1993, 1997, 2008, 2009) and three with her compound bow (2013, 2019, 2021) so far.

This year will mark her 12th combined cap at a world championships across all disciplines and categories, including indoor, field and youth.

“The last ones in Yankton, I completely missed out,” she said, referring to last year’s World Archery Field Championships. “At the time I had major doubts about my shooting.”

“I’m feeling pretty good this year, so I’m going to keep working hard right up to the championship and we’ll keep our fingers crossed. I’m going to prepare as well as I can to succeed and have a lot of fun there.”

In Berlin in August, she will be reunited with Renaudin with whom she was European team champion in 2021.

Alongside Herve, Dodemont has won two Hyundai Archery World Cup stage team medals – gold in Berlin in 2018 and bronze in Paris in 2022.

Compound women’s French national team for Berlin 2023.

Compound men’s French national team for Berlin 2023.

France’s compound men will be led by the emerging Girard, who will experience his very first world championships in Germany.

“It’s a dream for me to be selected for the 2023 world championships in Berlin,” he said. “Our bow is not yet in the Olympic Games, so being able to take part in this world championship is an ultimate goal.”

Girard will team up with Boulch, who is taking part in his third consecutive seniors, while Gontier is at his second.

Gontier finished fourth at the trials, behind junior Victor Bouleau in third place, but it was the more experienced of the two who was chosen for Berlin. Bouleau is making his international senior debut on the Hyundai Archery World Cup circuit this season – and will lead the youth squad at Limerick in July.

“I’m very happy of this new selection, I can’t wait to get there,” said Bouleau. “I’m going to give it my all and go for the medals, but I’m expecting the level to be high as many juniors are already on the World Cups.”

He will be escorted by François Dubois in the compound men’s under-21 event. Dubois finished fourth in the same age group at the Yankton 2022 World Archery Field Championships.

Candice Cadronet, Alyssia Chambraud and Léa Girault will comprise the compound women’s under-21 roster. Girault is just 17.