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Australia’s Para-archery campaign came to a dramatic close on Thursday as crowd favourite Taymon Kenton-Smith and Amanda Jennings faced-off against India’s Harvinder Singh and Pooja in the 1/8 elimination of the mixed team recurve open.
India started off strong, taking the first set with scores of 31 and 35, putting the Australians on the back foot early. However, Kenton-Smith and Jennings were far from giving up, fighting back fiercely to claim the third and fourth sets – both with a score of 33 each – to level the match.
In a tense and nail-biting shoot-off, it came down to the final two arrows. Singh and Pooja held their nerve, delivering the decisive shots to secure victory, with Taymon-Smith missing the target and ultimately marking the end of the match.
Speaking candidly, Kenton-Smith admitted; “I seriously doubt anyone thought that was going to happen.”
Detailing a crucial moment, he explained; “My arrow went on to the plunger button, which is above the arrow rest, and I aimed off a little bit, but obviously I didn’t aim off enough, and unfortunately, I missed the target. But that’s archery, that’s the sport.”
Despite the setback, Kenton-Smith was full of praise for his teammate Amanda Jennings.
“I completely trust and appreciate AJ. I knew that her and I were going to do really well together, and we did. We went up against what is probably one of the best, if not the best team in the mixed competition.”
Jennings, too, reflected positively on their performance, remaining composed under pressure.
“I wasn’t nervous,” she shared.
“I just wanted to do it properly and remember my process, and that’s what I did, more or less, I did slip a little bit on my grip.”
Though disappointed by the campaign’s end, Jennings expressed a sense of anticipation for future challenges.
“It’s a shame it’s finished because I was enjoying it so much, but it just makes us hungrier for the next one.”
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By: Amanda Scott, Paralympics Australia
Published: 5 September 2024
