In our second part, Bow continues to wrap up 2019 with a look back at what went on.
May
Bow cover star: Lan Lu
The NFAS 3D championships went off with a bang in Nottinghamshire with some of the trickiest technical shooting yet seen. Berlin and Yankton were awarded the World Championships in 2021 and 2023.
The Shanghai World Cup was held, with So Chaewon and Braden Gellenthien taking compound honours. That was followed almost immediately by the competition in Antalya, which saw Danelle Wenzel of South Africa and Jimmy Lutz of the USA make breakthroughs.
Bow spent some time with the kyudo masters at the White Rose dojo in south-east London, which gave people a new perspective on mastery.
June
Bow cover star: Brady Ellison
The world championships in the Netherlands were the biggest and brightest yet; and the next ones will have to go some way towards topping this event: a spectacular festival of archery, preceded by the para competition.
Brady Ellison, our cover star, finally delivered what his talent – and some spectacular form – had prepared him for. But the normally dominant Korean recurve teams faltered for the second time this year at a major event and failed to bring home several of the big gold medals.
The event also added dozens of the primary Olympic places, including six – count ‘em – spots for Great Britain; a total that may well change the future of the sport in the UK.
July
Brady’s wife Toja had her moment in the sun, winning the second European Games event in Minsk, Belarus. An interesting competition again saw Mike Schloesser triumph on the compound side, as the Italian mob mopped up in recurve, and grabbed another precious Olympic place.
A final World Cup stage in Berlin was held, closing out the major outdoor events of the year, and Germany held Die Finals, one of the more successful events yet seen. In the news, archery failed to make the Commonwealth Games in 2022, sparking a major backlash among our readers. You can’t win them all.
August
Bow cover star: Toja Ellison
Brady Ellison was back on the radar breaking the ranking round world record at the Pan American Games in in Lima, Peru, though Crispin Duenas eventually triumphed.
The Indian archery establishment finally got suspended from international events over several years of administrative turmoil. Bow looked at barebow risers, sustainability, mixed teams and new gear from all over. The youth World Championships were held in Madrid, giving a lot of youngsters a serious taste of international competition.