Magnus Petersson: “I am looking forward to Leipzig!”

Magnus Petersson, 32 years old
Birth Place: Göteborg (SWE) Height: 177 cm Weight: 80 kg Club: Lindome Occupation: Human Resources Consultant Family: Married, 2 children   Competition Results:

Date Category Pos. Event City, Country 2006 Recurve Men 3 Meteksan World Cup Final Merida, Mexico 2006 Recurve Men 11 Meteksan World Cup Stage 4 Shanghai, PR China 2006 Recurve Men 1 European Outdoor Championships Athens, Greece 2006 Recurve Men 8 Meteksan World Cup Stage 2 - EMAU Grand Prix Antalya, Turkey 2006 Recurve Men 2 Meteksan World Cup Stage 1 - EMAU Grand Prix Porec, Croatia 2004 Recurve Men 23 XXVII OLYMPIC GAMES Athens, Greece 2004 Recurve Men 4 European Outdoor Championships Brussels, Belgium 2004 Recurve Men 7 European Grand Prix Rovereto, Italy 2003 Recurve Men 36 42nd Outdoor World Championships New York, USA 2003 Recurve Men Team 2 42nd Outdoor World Championships  New York, USA 2001 Recurve Men 19 41st Outdoor World Championships Beijing, PR China 2000 Recurve Men 4 XXVII OLYMPIC GAMES Sydney, Australia 1999 Recurve Men 15 40th Outdoor World Championships Riom, France 1999 Recurve Men 1 Indoor World Championships Havana, Cuba 1996 Recurve Men 2 XXVI OLYMPIC GAMES Atlanta, USA 1995 Recurve Men 1 Indoor World Championships Birmingham, Great Britain

 

Magnus, you have been among the top archers for many years, but it seems that 2006 was particularly good to you with your European title and the 3rd place at the World Cup Final. What made you shoot so well in 2006? There were a couple of different reasons. I had a nice and relaxed attitude towards my performance and I was shooting with no pressure, which off course helped a lot.   What do you think in general about the new Archery World Cup? The World Cup is a fantastic event and it is a huge step in the right direction. It has really made the whole archery concept more professional and we are definitely heading in the right direction.   Looking back over a more than 10-year career at the top level, how do you see the evolution of archery? I think we have had a great evolution in the last three years with the Athens Olympic Games and the World Cup concept. This is really the best way. It has all the best features that we can provide for the media and spectators, and we will of course develop the competition form further over the next years.   Early in your career, you had some great results in the 1990s, including a silver medal at the 1996 Olympics and two Indoor World titles. It seems that after your 4th place at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, you had some lower results. Why? Well, everyone hits a wall of doubt sooner or later and I had a hard time focusing. My practice took a hard bump.   It must indeed be hard to stay on top season after season. Your 2007 start has not been the best either, suffering a couple of first round eliminations. You are now way behind on the World Cup ranking. What is happening? I didn’t go to the Ulsan World Cup because my wife and I had the great pleasure of having our second baby. In Varese, I earned 25th place in qualification with a really bad score at 90 meters. Then, I had a problem with my bow broke in Antalya. I didn’t put much into it. However, I have the feeling that I prepared well for the World Championships in Leipzig. This is the most important event of the year, where we can qualify for the Olympic Games. I am looking forward to it!   Are the wind or bad weather conditions like we had in the Varese World Cup a big factor for you? Are you used to it in Sweden? No. I can’t say I practice in bad conditions just to prepare for it. We have some pretty cold weather sometimes in Sweden, but then it is nice to have a good indoor arena to shoot in.   Do you prefer match play with 12 arrows or the FITA Round with 144 arrows? I don’t put any energy into preferring any specific competition form. I have to enjoy the different types of challenges that the competition provides.   Do you think a recurve man will ever break the mythical barrier of 1400 pts at a FITA round? I really hope so.   Have you been a real pro (doing only archery) at some point in your career? No, unfortunately not. I have sometimes been close to it, but always with a deadline when I had to come back to work.   We had the Field World Championships at your home club Lindome, near Göteborg, last year. Did you ever shoot Field competitively? Yes of course, I have won a couple of big tournaments and even a Swedish Championship as a junior. However, I don’t do it anymore.   Nowadays, how do you balance your personal, professional and archery life? It is not so easy… I had to change jobs a few months ago due to the fact that I want more out of archery. I am now a consultant at Kelly Services. However, it is very exhausting to acclimate to a new work place—together with the fact that we had a second child in March. I could be in a better position, but on the other hand I wouldn’t change anything.   Any time left for hobbies? As you can guess… not at all (laughing).   How did you adjust your archery training over the years? That’s one of my secrets…but I have of course learned a lot during the years.   Do you do any physical training? Yes, of course.   How did you start archery? I was about 10 years old and was playing with my friends making bows. I wanted mine to be faster and stronger so it broke. My father bought me a new one and I broke even that one, because I wanted to have a faster one—so we contacted a local club.   Did you do other sports when you were a child? Yes, football and fencing.   When exactly did you think you would become one of the top archers in the world? I don’t know. After I won the Indoor World Championships for the second time, I was getting used to the idea…   Do you plan to keep shooting archery at a high level for a long time? Oh yes!   What will you do after that? Breathe and enjoy my free time…   What do you like so much about archery? The combination of mental and physical strength, plus the level of equipment that needs to be perfect. I really love to change and fine-tune my bow.   Thanks Magnus and good luck in Leipzig!   Didier Miéville FITA Communication