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Newfound confidence gets Healey over the line at Arnhem 2025

26 July 2025

Arnhem, Netherlands

Real name:

Penny Healey hugging her coach Naomi Folkard.

Inconsistent shooting needn’t matter for Penny Healey as she overcame strong winds to win the recurve women’s individual gold at Arnhem 2025 European Grand Prix Leg 2.

The Briton was taken to the maximum five sets by Germany’s Charline Schwarz and a prevailing westerly wind but tamed her troubles far better in the final two ends than the first three, securing a 7-3 triumph.

“I’m feeling good,” Krakow-Malopolska 2023 European Games champion Healey told archery+ straight after her victory. “The wind was tough, so it took me a bit to get through that but I’m happy. I do a lot of aiming off-practise because in the UK it’s windy so that helps a lot.”

Due to the conditions, it was a match where arrows hitting the red seven and eight-rings mattered more than in most competitions on the world circuit.

To begin, it was Schwarz – the 2024 Spring Arrows runner up – who got to grips with the assignment at the TeamNL Centre Papendal first.

Under the watchful eye of modern great turned coach Natalia Valeeva behind her, Schwarz landed seven of her first nine arrows in the red and yellow rings, five eights and two 10s, only two wide sixes in the first and third ends.

Meanwhile Healey had three arrows outside the red and they were even further out. Two fours one each left and right of the target with a shot in the five-ring, clearly bemusing the 2022 Indoor World Series gold medallist, conjuring confused looks at her coach Naomi Folkard. It was all to play at this point with scores tied at 3-3 but momentum was with the German.

Panicking and looking around aimlessly for answers is never the antidote for in-match pressure moments, however. Even though she is still so young at 20, Healey has learnt from being at the top level long enough to understand that staying calm in such situations is the only way to steer through adversity.

Self-confidence is another aspect every archer needs to have for success and Healey admitted in Central Florida – the first stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup which she won – that this was something diminished in 2024, an Olympic year.

“I had more confidence that my shot would strong, that I’ve got confidence in my equipment and I’m really happy with the place I am in right now.”

Her reassurance was confirmed in the USA in April when she swept aside Alejandra Valencia in the final there and it roared back in the Netherlands against Schwarz.

Healey dropped nine, 10X, seven and then nine, nine, 10, in the fourth and fifth ends, turning up when it counted most whilst her opponent could not improve against the gusts that pushed behind both archers, getting consecutive 24s [seven, eight, nine twice].

Schwarz, 24, may be a Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games bronze medallist but Arnhem was only her fourth senior career final four whilst for Healey – four years her junior – her tenth.

Saturday’s match therefore being one of the rare sporting occasions where experience helped the younger athlete… quite the oxymoron.