Great Britain tops medal table at first para world ranking event of 2019

Great Britain led the medal table at the first para world ranking event of the 2019 season, the Fazza in Dubai, after collecting gold medals in the recurve women’s open, compound women‘s open and compound open mixed team events.

Jodie Grinham beat Italy’s Maria Andrea Virgilio in the compound women’s open final, 138-135.

“It’s always fantastic to win an international competition and I know with the weather conditions being difficult, I did what it took,” she said.

“Topping the medal table as a team has and will massively lift our confidence. Winning a medal individually always boosts your own energy but when a large number of teammates do it the result is far greater.”

With the qualification process for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games beginning at the World Archery Para Championships in ’s-Hertogenbosch this summer, there is an expectation among a British squad that led the medal table at the last Paralympics, too.

 

“We know that the competition and standards are going to be incredibly high, but we are quietly confident in our preparation plan,” said para programme manager Tom Duggan.

Grinham added she considered this year, the one before the Games, the most important in the cycle.

She pinpointed the importance of winning quota places early in the process, to allow athletes time to focus on peaking for the Paralympics rather than battling for spaces until the last moment.

“Once you have spots you can shift your focus to Tokyo prep,” she said. “The earlier you get those spots the better.”

 

Britain’s Hazel Chaisty won the recurve women’s open gold medal. Japan’s Ueyama Tomohiro and Shinohara Aya won the recurve men’s open and W1 women’s competitions.

Compound men’s open gold went to Marcel Pavlik, while Jean Pierre Antonios of Finland topped the W1 men’s podium.

Britain (compound open), Italy (recurve open) and Korea (W1) won the mixed team events.

Italy had the most podium finishers – seven – of any of the 20 countries in attendance at the Fazza tournament. Bronze medallist Alberto Simonelli also broke his own world record during qualification.

The next para world ranking event takes place in Olbia, Italy at the end of April 2019.

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