Shropshire archer Penny, 12, targets the big time after international win
A 12-year-old aspiring Olympic archer from Shropshire has her eyes firmly set on the big time after notching up her first win at international level.
Schoolgirl Penny Healy stunned rivals when she scored an impressive 576 points in the under 15s category at the championship which was held as part of the Archery Indoor World Cup held, in Nimes, France, earlier this month.
Penny competed there as an independent entrant, but trains at the Archery GB academy at the National Sports Centre, in Lilleshall, and at the Bowbrook Archers, in Shrewsbury, up to six times a week.
She took up archery two years ago after falling in love with the sport.
Her mother Emma Jones, 39, an administrator, says: "Penny's goal is to compete at the Olympic Games. She's been asking us for years to allow her to compete at Nimes, but we felt she was too young.
"This year when she said she wanted to go for the experience we decided to go as a family and she ended up winning. She finished 15 points clear of the runner up from Spain."
She also travelled to Nimes with dad Ryan, 33, a businessman, and sister Neave, aged ten.
The year eight pupil, who attends Idsall School where she is on its gifted and talented programme, aims to make the Archery GB squad in the future and attends coaching weekends at the archery academy at Lilleshall as part of her training regime.
Her prize for coming top at Nimes included a set of Easton bows and Hoyt arrows.
She is the current UK record holder for shooting at 50 metres after taking part in a national youth festival at Lilleshall last summer and is planning to compete at this year's Staffordshire Bucks & Bounty Archery outdoor event at the centre in May.
"Penny is quite grounded and also makes time for her homework which is important," her mother added.
