‘I learned my Olympic sport at Haven holiday park – now I’m representing Team GB in Paris'
Megan Havers first picked up a bow and arrow when she was just seven years old, and she is now representing Team GB at the Olympics.
Team GB archery starlet Megan Havers found her love for the sport as a kid on a family holiday to Haven, where she had her first taste of glory. The teenage prodigy made her debut at the Paris 2024 Games on Wednesday, shooting her first arrow in an incredible journey that has taken her from novice to Olympian in less than a decade.
Thrillingly, she placed 49th out of 64 archers that morning, marking her successful entry into global competition alongside accomplished Korean archer Lim Sihyeon, who set a new world record in the initial contest. From her humble beginnings in a caravan park to now sharing the field with top-tier talent, Havers embodies the spirit and allure of the Games.
Reminiscing about her journey, the young athlete told In Your Area about her early exposure to the sport at just seven years old: "The instructor said I was a natural, and I ended up beating my granddad in a competition."
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Her eighth birthday marked her trajectory towards success with a beginner's course and her first bow. Gradually, she climbed the ranks representing the county, the region and finally Great Britain.
She explained: "For my eighth birthday, I got a beginner's course, bought my first bow a few months later, and eventually started representing my county, region, and then the country. I was on my first senior team in March this year," reports the Mirror.
Just three months later, Havers launched her career as an Olympic athlete - ready and determined for Tuesday's knockout round and looking forward to facing Germany in the team event on Sunday. It's safe to say excitement is high for the budding archer, who added: "I can officially say I'm an Olympian now. That's really cool to say. I've got a lot more Olympics in me, I hope as well.
"I like to shoot first so I don't get in my own head. That's my rule. I came to this field today, and I was calm and excited to shoot, but then my first arrow, I kind of felt nervous. I was like, oh, this is my first Olympic Games shooting. But it settled down as I went."
Havers was one of three British competitors battling it out on Wednesday. The remaining squad included previous Tokyo 2020 participant Bryony Pitman and new arrival Penny Healey.
