Five facts about archery

Archery is the sport of using a bow to shoot arrows. Here are five facts about archery that you might not know.

1. The youngest medalist was 14 years old

The youngest archery medalist at the Olympics is Denise Parker, who was only 14 years old in 1988 when she earned a bronze medal. She also competed in the individual archery event, earning 21st place. In 2009, Parker became the CEO of USA Archery.

2. The oldest archery competition began in 1483

The oldest documented official archery contest is a papingo shoot. This is an archery tournament where, instead of shooting a target on the ground, the archers shoot a fake bird at numerous heights. The papingo shoot was created in 1483 by the Ancient Society of Kilwinning Archers, and it is still practiced now. If you’re interested in it, you can try it in Scotland.

3. Arrows can travel as fast as 200 mph

A normal recurve arrow moves around 150 mph. A normal compound arrow moves around 200 mph, which is about as fast as a race car! The difference between the two is that the recurve arrow is skinnier and more flexible. The compound arrow is wider and stiffer.

4. The youngest archer to get a flawless 900 was only 13 years old

Liko Arreola became the youngest archer to get a flawless 900 in 2021 at the Vegas Shoot. She also got a 900 at the Rushmore Rumble competition. Liko Arreola is also the seventh female archer to score a 900.

5. The first compound bow was patented in 1966

Although bows were around for many years, compound bows didn’t exist until 1966, which were created by Holless Wilbur Allen.