Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympians: the recurve boys to watch

From left to right, introducing your recurve boys’ favourites at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games…

1) Jan VAN TONGEREN (NED): Another of the Netherland’s seemingly-never-ending stream of young, talented recurve men. (The Dutch must have the most impressive depth of any European, if not non-Korean, elite programme.)

Jan came fourth at the junior world indoors earlier this year – and will look to do one better in Nanjing than his Dutch Youth Olympian predecessor Rick VAN DEN OEVER did at Singapore 2010: silver.

He said he was looking forward to being part of a multisport team at the Games: “it’s unique, it’s special. It only happens once. I watched Rick at Singapore and thought to myself: ‘I want to be there!’”

2) Mete GAZOZ (TUR): Mete’s debut in Wuxi ended with him making the last 16 individually and collecting silver with the Turkish cadet team.

Since then, he appears to have grown considerably: in confidence and, well… height.

3) Brad DENNY (GBR): Relatively inexperienced, DENNY shot at his first senior World Cup in Shanghai to open this season. Like Turkey’s GAZOZ, it was only his second world international after the world juniors in 2013.

Despite that, he shoots with some serene confidence and is coached in Nanjing by British coach Songi WOO. The same Songi who was behind Mexico’s Aida ROMAN and her jump in form ahead of the London 2012 Games.

4) Marcus DALMEIDA (BRA): Brazil’s flag bearer at the Nanjing 2014 opening ceremony, Marcus is the ascending archer of the moment.

He’s made the World Cup Final as a senior this year – his first full international senior season – and has the added pressure of coming from the nation that will host the next Summer Games.

If he wins here in Nanjing, it will not only springboard his confidence before Lausanne in September but do wonders for his – and the sport’s – exposure ahead of Rio 2016.

5) Thomas KOENIG (FRA): The lanky KOENIG is currently a champion in three different age groups. With France, he won the Wuxi 2013 cadet team outdoor world crown then the junior indoor world team title at home in Nimes earlier this year.

He made his senior debut this year, and was part of the European Championship winning recurve men’s team in Echmiadzin. He also shot at Antalya and Wroclaw, the last two World Cup stages in 2014.

During practice at Nanjing he mentioned it had been months since he had shot at 60 metres: “it’s taking some time to adjust. For the first couple of days I was spraying loads of arrows out into the red, but it’s tightening up now.”

Plus: Florian FABER shot a new senior national record in Switzerland recently and is leading an emerging wave of competitive Swiss recurve men; Korea was kept off the boys’ podium at Singapore 2010, so LEE Woo Seok’s got heavy expectations on his shoulders and Andreas MAYR is two metres tall.

That might not give MAYR any real competitive advantage… but the German’s one of a few cadet men in Nanjing that just look huge on the line.

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