ARCHERY: The 20 year-old Victorian touched down at the home of the Rio 2016 Games on Tuesday (local time) and will compete in both the men’s individual and team event when he begins his debut Olympic campaign on August 5.
Australia has never won a team medal in Olympic competition but Potts, alongside London 2012 Olympian Taylor Worth and Ryan Tyack, believes the Aussies can trouble the medal contenders in Rio.
“There’s only been four Australians to ever shoot over the 680 mark, domestically or internationally and 3 of those are on the team,” said Potts.
“I don’t want to come out and say that we are locked in for a medal cause anything can happen on the day, but when your team is made up of two past World Record holders and an Olympian I think we’re in with a good chance.”
Having begun shooting in 2008, Potts has steadily been on the rise in the sport. He made his World Cup debut in 2015 and is now shooting at a world class level more consistently.
“I’ve been really happy with my lead-up to Rio, my score in Shanghai was, at the time phenomenal for me.
“But since that boost of confidence I’ve been regularly hitting scores higher than that during my training sessions, so if it all works out on the day I’m confident that I can perform well.
“Finishing first in the Olympic Selection Process was also a big boost for me, as I’d spent the year beforehand consistently in the 3rd place discretionary spot and made a real push this year to try and get myself to the top spot.”
The men’s team, along with Australia’s female representative at Rio 2016 Alice Ingley, have been training in Taiwan where they got the chance to simulate the conditions that the unique Rio 2016 competition might throw at them.
“The training camp in Taiwan was a really good opportunity for us to show just how well we’ve been performing as a team, even with the added distractions of the platform and the noises of the crowds.
“We’ve practiced under so many different scenarios now that we can be confident we have prepared for all eventualities.”
Archery gets underway at the famous Sambodromo on the day of the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony when the ranking rounds are held and Potts can’t wait to get shooting.
“I’m most looking forward to the first match on the competition field, as that’s something I’ve been dreaming about since I started shooting.
“I really enjoy shooting under the cameras, so I can’t wait for the opportunity to go out and perform.
“It’s an exceptional feeling to be able to have this chance to represent my country at an Olympic Games, but I haven’t really allowed myself to let it sink in yet.
“I know that just making the Games isn’t the end of the journey. And that I go over to Rio with a job to do and after this is completed then I’ll let myself take it all in.”
The men’s team compete on Day 1 of the Games (August 6) while the men’s and women’s individual competition matches start on Day 3 (August 8).
Matt Bartolo
olympics.com.au
