University of Dundee student wins bronze

A University of Dundee student has made history after winning a bronze medal at the European Indoor Championships, becoming the first GBR barebow man to secure a World Archery Target medal.

William Anderson, a member of the University of Dundee Archery Club, achieved the milestone after an impressive week of competition against Europe’s top archers.

In December, Archery GB announced the selection criteria for athletes hoping to compete at the championships. In the Senior Barebow Men category, archers were required to submit scores averaging at least 512 out of a possible 600.

William exceeded the benchmark comfortably, submitting scores with an average of 533 - the highest average recorded among the Great Britain barebow archers. He was also the only Scottish athlete to meet the selection criteria.

The competition began with a 60-arrow qualification round, where a score of 514 placed him 18th overall. After progressing through the individual head-to-head matches, he went on to finish 9th overall in the individual event.

Qualification scores also determine mixed team pairings, with the highest-scoring male and female archers forming a team. Having recorded the highest GBR barebow score in qualification, William partnered with Ilaria Knibb for the mixed team event.

The pair advanced to the quarter-finals, where they defeated Czechia 5-3 to reach the semi-finals. A 6-2 loss to Italy meant they would compete against France in the bronze medal match.

The contest proved incredibly close, with both teams tied at 4-4, forcing the match into a shoot-off tiebreak.

In a shoot-off, each archer shoots a single arrow, with the highest combined score winning. If the scores are level, the arrow closest to the centre decides the match.

Knibb shot first for Great Britain, scoring a 9. The two French archers then scored a 6 and an 8, leaving the final British arrow needing to match their total.

“With one second left on the clock, and if I went over it would have counted as a miss, I managed to get it right into the 9 and closest to the middle,” William said.

The arrow secured victory in the shoot-off and with it the mixed team bronze medal.

Reflecting on the experience, William said the championships were unforgettable, adding: “I had an absolutely amazing week and the support from the Scottish archery community made it unreal.”

The championships were self-funded for athletes, and ahead of the event William launched a fundraising campaign to help cover costs. He reached his goal in less than 48 hours, raising £2,165 through a GoFundMe campaign.