Indoor world champ Sophie DODEMONT retires from international archery

An Olympic medallist and world medallist in three disciplines and two bow types, her targets – she said – had been achieved.

Sophie, who comes from Villiers Le Bel, amassed an extraordinary trophy collection. While working as a policewoman she was allowed time for sport, and at age 41 – with world medals in outdoor, indoor and field archery and both the recurve and compound bow – has decided to concentrate on her professional work.

DODEMONT took up compound two years ago, but was previously an elite recurve archer. She won the Meditteranean Games in 1993 and a team bronze with the French recurve women at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Her international career started in 1989 with the French junior team. She took a break in 1996 after missing out on selection for both the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics, but was back by 2006 to focus on Beijing.

In 2008, she won Olympic bronze with Berengere SCHUH and Virginie ARNOLD – the first medal of those Games for the French delegation.

A compete archer, DODEMONT shot at several world field championships, winning individual silvers in 2006 and 2012 – before switching to compound in 2013 and taking outdoor world team bronze with Pascale LEBECQUE and Sandrine VANDIONNANT at Belek 2013.

Her world title came in March 2014 at the Nimes indoor championships. In 2014, she also set a new European record for the 72-arrow 50-metre qualification round – with 701 out of 720 – at the second Archery World Cup stage in Medellin, before winning mixed team gold with PJ DELOCHE at the same tournament.

“I decided to quit today,” Sophie wrote on her Facebook page. “I reached all my sporting goals: I’m an Olympic medallist, World Champion, world medallist in three categories with two types of bow.”

“This year I shot my arrows in international events with the same delight as in France or with my team during the Olympics.”

Sophie will continue to compete in national tournaments, and expressed her gratitude to the French federation, fans, peers and opponents on the field: “I would like to say thank you to all the people who followed and supported me…”

“We’ll see each other again on the French fields!”

French archery federation officials, including president Philippe BOUCLET and national technical director Benoit DUPIN, offered Sophie messages of praise following the announcement. 

They said she had “the most impressive record in French archery” and thanked Sophie “on behalf of all French archers, for what she brought us”.