Shropshire's Phoebe backs archers for more golden glory in Paris
Shropshire's Phoebe Paterson Pine believes that Great Britain’s archers are “in a very good place” as they target success at the Paris Paralympics.
Paterson Pine led the way in Tokyo three years ago, winning the women’s individual compound event and achieving a result she readily acknowledges surpassed her expectations.
She will be joined in the French capital by Jodie Grinham, a silver medallist in the compound mixed team competition at Rio 2016, three-time Paralympian Nathan Macqueen and debutant Victoria Kingstone.
“We all work really hard. We are all very good at what we do and the amount of work we have put in over the past cycle puts us in a very good place,” said Paterson Pine, who lives in Telford. “So fingers crossed that everything works out and we are able to come home with some bling.”
Paterson Pine’s golden Tokyo triumph came after a final arrow 134-133 victory over Chile’s Mariana Zuniga Varela.
And the 26-year-old knows that same level of composure and calmness under pressure will be required in her quest for a successful title defence.
“You have to be able to keep yourself calm and collected and I have worked very hard to give myself different techniques in order to stay as calm as I possibly can,” added Paterson Pine, who has spina bifida. “We are a sport where adrenalin isn’t helpful. We are trying to stay as cool and collected as we possibly can.
“Golf is a very mind-orientated sport and you have to stay as calm and relaxed as you can in order to make sure you are thinking the right things. Archery is the same.
“There is no rushing or trying to do something as fast as you can because you have got the adrenalin going – it is the complete opposite to that.
“You have to try your best to calm everything down. I use a lot of breathing techniques, but it takes a lot of experience as well in terms of being able to handle the pressure.
“Getting gold in Tokyo was definitely a surprise. It took me quite a long time to allow it to settle and allow myself to realise that I had gone out and won gold.
“On the way to the airport, I was telling my mum I just wanted to be top 10, so to come home with gold was beyond my expectations.
“It was my first Games, there were no expectations, I got selected five weeks before it and I was out there as a bit of a stepping stone towards Paris.
“There is definitely a weight to having a title. I want to go out and I want to win gold again, but if I don’t, I will still wake up the next day.
“I think Tokyo really helped me gain the experience I needed to grow as a person and an athlete and be able to kind of learn what it takes to be a full-time elite athlete.
“I am training full-time now. It is full on, but I am very grateful I am able to do this.
“I am not taking anything for granted with these Games. I am going to go out and do the very best I can. I feel like I am in a good space, which fills me with a lot of confidence.”
