Stretton shines as archery gets underway in Tokyo

Tokyo 2021

Jessica Stretton set a new Paralympic record to finish first in the women’s individual compound open ranking round to cap a scintillating morning of archery in Tokyo.

The 21-year-old, who won gold at Rio in 2016, hit 48 tens and 25 Xs to record a score of 694 and finish ahead of the Russian Paralympic Committee’s Stepanida Artakhinova in second, and Turkey’s Oznur Cure in third.

Victory in the open ranking round means Stretton bypasses the first elimination round on Sunday and will progress straight to Monday’s round of 16.

Stretton said: “Setting a new Paralympic record does feel amazing, it hasn’t really sunk in yet.

I think when it does, I'll reflect on what an amazing thing it is, but it will take a short while to sink in and become real.

Jessica Stretton

“I’m a little bit of a lizard, so I love this heat, it’s sort of my ideal climate, and I’m living the life.”

One member of the ParalympicsGB team included in Sunday’s first elimination round will be Phoebe Paterson Pine.

She set a new personal best of 670 in the women’s individual compound open ranking round, finishing 16th, and will now face Andrievskaia in the first elimination round at the Dream Island Archery Park on Sunday in the hope of joining Stretton in the round of 16.

ParalympicsGB’s oldest athlete at these Games and one of the Opening Ceremony flagbearers, 56-year-old John Stubbs, had a tough start, finishing 19th in the men’s individual compound open ranking round.

John Stubbs is the oldest British athlete at Tokyo 2020

He will now face Slovakia’s Marian Marecak in the round of 32 and will be joined by compatriot Nathan MacQueen, who finished 22nd to set up a clash with Nail Gatin.

There was an impressive ParalympicsGB performance in the women’s individual W1 ranking round as Victoria Rumary finished sixth, hitting 11 tens and two Xs to record a score of 590 and will take on Brazil’s Rejane Candida in Tuesday’s first elimination round.

Meanwhile, Hazel Chaisty pulled out a season’s best performance to finish 12th in the women’s individual recurve open ranking round to book a clash against Latvia’s Ieva Melle on Thursday, while in the men’s event David Phillips finished 26th in a strong field, meaning he’ll now face France’s Guillaume Toucoullet.

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