Goals for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games for archers from the French team welcome to Smarves Archery Club

Less than three months before the Olympic Games, the Smarves Archery Club in Vienne organized a national competition at the weekend with archers from the French team. Their goal: to be selected for the Olympics in Paris.

This is the second year in a row that Smarve’s archery club has hosted a round of the French Division 1 championship. This happened last weekend in this commune of Vienne near Poitiers and the club welcomed the national archery elite with archers from the French team. for the Olympics in Paris.

The closer we get (the Olympics), the more important every arrow is, the more every moment is super important.

Caroline Lopez

French archery team

Among these competitors, two licensees from the Auvergne club Riom : Lisa Barbelin, European champion two years ago, and Caroline Lopez, reigning world team vice-champion. Both dream of joining the French Olympic selection consisting of three women and three men. Caroline Lopez for which it would be the first Olympic selection, feels the deadline is approaching : ” The better things are going, the fewer days separate us from the Olympics, and we realize that the closer we get, the more important every arrow is, the more every moment is extremely important. »

Lisa Barbelinfrom the same Auvergne club, has already participated once in the Olympics: “ Of course, it adds some pressure, but the whole point is to stay” focus » on us and not to concentrate on the cameras, on the questions that may be asked of us… It is certain that the whole context changes and there will be more pressure. »

Of course, the whole context changes and there is more pressure.

Lisa Barbelin

French archery team

Jean-Charles Vallandont also participated in the competition at Smarves at the weekend. His track record is impressive : former world number 1, he participated in the Beijing Games in 2008 and Tokyo in 2022 and, above all, was a silver medalist at those in Rio in 2016.

His experience is an advantage for the French team : “We installed an arena to simulate what we want at the Place des Invalides and we bring in the public from time to time so we try to stay in our bubble.”

Our three champions will have to wait a few more weeks before they know if they are among the lucky ones. The French archery selection for the Paris Olympics must be revealed at the end of June.

>> See the report by Jérôme Vilain and Romain Burot during this archery competition in Smarves.