Archery, between old and young

There is a thirty-one-year gap between the youngest archer competing on the Olympic field, 15-year-old Dan OLARU from Moldova, and the oldest, Karen HULTZER from South Africa.   The youngest archer competing in the London Olympic Games is Dan OLARU from Moldova at 15 – he was born on 11 November 1996. Another young archer Gael PREVOST (FRA) is amongst the youngest men at 18. “I don’t feel too much pressure, because I have nothing to lose”, said the French archer. “I hope that these won’t be my last Games. I don’t see any disadvantages about being among the youngest.” Gael PREVOST and teammates Thomas FAUCHERON (22), and Romain GIROUILLE (24) make up the youngest team on the field, with an average of 21,3 years, and they are among the favourites for a medal in the competition.   The oldest archer on the men’s side is Juan Carlos STEVENS at age 43. The local British team is the oldest team is the men’s archery competition with an average age of 35 years (Laurence GODFREY 36, Simon TERRY 38, Alan WILLS 30).   The youngest female archer is the 2011 Panamerican champion Alejandra VALENCIA from Mexico, who was born on 17 October 1994. Also among the youngest competitors is the No. 1 archer in the world and favourite Deepika KUMARI (IND), who turned 18 on 13 June.   Karen HULTZER (RSA) is the oldest woman on the archery field at 46. Remarkably, she had never picked up a bow before five years ago. The archers with the longest career are Khatuna LORIG (USA), Natalia VALEEVA (ITA) and Alison WILLIAMSON (GBR), who made their Olympic debuts at Barcelona 1992. All of them are former Olympic medallists and still have a realistic shot at an Olympic medal in 2012.   Two archers will celebrate their birthday during the Olympic archery competition : Kaori KAWANAKA (JPN) and Allan WILLS (GBR) will turn 21 and 31, respectively, on 3 August.   Youngest Dan OLARU (MDA) – Born on 11 November 1996   Alejandra VALENCIA (MEX) – Born on 17 October 1994   Oldest Juan Carlos STEVENS (CUB) – Born on 22 October 1968   Karen HULTZER (RSA) – Born on 16 September 1965   Good luck to these younger and older archers who have made it to the Olympic Games!     More information on all the archers on the World Archery website.   World Archery Communication
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