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Para-archers Ameera Lee and Jonathon Milne saw their Paralympic campaign come to an end in the mixed team compound open quarter-final on Monday, defeated by Great Britain’s Jodie Grinham and Nathan Macqueen – 150 to 141.
Grinham and Macqueen took control from the start, winning each end. The first two ends both finished at 38-36, the third end at 38-34, and the final end at 36-35, sealing a GB victory and advancing them to the semi-finals.
Lee and Milne reflected on their performance and expressed optimism for the future, acknowledging the challenges faced during the match.
“I followed my shot process, but it just didn’t want to go in the middle. It’s just one of those things, that’s archery,” Lee said.
Despite the disappointment, Lee remains determined to return to the world stage and compete in the green and gold.
“I’m hungry for next time to come back and do better. I just embraced the moment, because the thing is, everyone deserves to be here, everyone’s earned their selections, and it’s who is best on the day – anything can happen. It can go either way, and today it just went their way.”
Lee also shared her support for her opponent and friend, British archer Jodie Grinham.
“Jodie is a good friend, I’ve known her since my first world championships, so I am really pleased to see her shooting so well.”
Milne echoed Lee’s sentiments, noting the challenges posed by the conditions.
“The wind wasn’t as bad as yesterday, but it was still enough to make you second guess yourself. Today was one of those days where you just couldn’t pick it. I thought I was holding well but kept missing just off the 10.”
Looking ahead, Milne emphasised the importance of continuous improvement and more international experience.
“I got a few little things I need to work on at home around consistency, but what we really need is more international tournaments to push us, which is why this experience is important.”
In the 1/8 Elimination Round earlier in the day – that secured Lee and Milne’s place in the quarter final – Lee was able to exact revenge on France’s Julie Rigault Chupin who competed alongside teammate Maxime Guerin after the Aussie’s captured the match 142-134. The win was particularly sweet for Lee, who had previously been defeated by Rigault Chupin in the Women’s Individual Compound Open 1/8 Elimination round on Day 3 of competition.
“We have been up against each other on and off for years, so it just goes to show anything can happen,” said Lee.
The Australian archers will continue their campaign tomorrow (3 September) when Amanda Jennings competes in the Women’s Recurve Open 1/16 Elimination Round against Indonesia’s Wahyu Retno Wulandari. The match is expected to be closely contested, as Jennings ranked 16th in the ranking round, just ahead of Retno Wulandari, who was 17th.
Watch the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on the 9Network and 9Now live and free, and on Stan Sport till September 8.
By: Amanda Scott, Paralympics Australia
Published: 2 September 2024
