Trio hit bullseye in Euro title joust
WL veteran guides mother and son to golds
West Lothian Archers are celebrating after three of the club’s members re t u r n e d f rom the recent European Indoor Championships with gold medals.
Phil Sutherland led the field in the freestyle compound event with mother- and-son duo Lisa and James Tocher scoring golds in the guest and junior freestyle competitions in Oropesa Del Mar, Spain.
While Phil has a long history of success on the international stage, the results marked a phenomenal rise to the top for 13-year-old James and his mother Lisa, who only took up the sport in August.
And Lisa, from Livingston, admitted that coming home with a gold medal from her trip to Spain was the last thing on her mind.
She said: “I’m amazed that I got a gold medal, to be honest. I would never have imagined it and I didn’t even think I was good enough to compete.
“I was going over anyway to support and help James and Phil said I should compete in the guest competition and I’m glad I did.
“I was nervous and didn’t think I could do it, but Phil convinced me and as soon as I shot that first arrow, I just got in the zone and everything worked.”
She added: “I tried archery for a wee while and didn’t really enjoy it. I had my arm twisted to give it another go and Phil started coaching me and I completely fell in love with the sport.”
James, who took up the sport just 18 months ago, has also risen to the top thanks to Phil’s coaching.
He said: “One of my friends was at a school camp and told me how much they enjoyed archery, so I thought I’d try it and was hooked straight away.
“Phil started coaching me about 18 months ago and I’ve been improving. It was a major tournament, so to win a gold medal was incredible.”
Phil, who has been European champion on six occasions and broke his own European record to grab the gold medal this time round, said: “I kind of stumbled across archery many years ago and it turned out that, not only did I really enjoy it, but I was also quite good at it.
“I have competed all over the world and have done for many years. I was delighted to get the gold and it’s great and enjoyable but, to be honest, I get more joy from seeing people like James and Lisa give the sport a try and improve and have fun.”
Next up is the World Indoor Archery Championships in Brasov, Romania, in March and if recent results are anything to go by, there could be more golds coming to West Lothian.