TOKYO TARGET
Berlin victory has archer MacQueen moving closer to completing his 2020 vision of earning a Team GB place for Paralympics in Japan...
Addiewell archer Nathan MacQueen has the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics firmly in his sight.
And the 28- year- old did his confidence no harm with victory at the recent Berlin Open.
Nathan competed at the Rio Paralympics four years ago, finishing ninth, but believes he’s a much better archer this time around.
Speaking to the Courier, he said: “It was a huge confidence boost because it’s always good to know that you can compete and do well at the major international events.
“The preparation wasn’t the best but to still be able to go and perform was great.
“I’ve worked hard to get to this point and this level.”
Nathan helped Team GB earn a quota spot for the Tokyo Paralympics, but he still needs to secure his place on the team at the selection shoot later this year.
He’s currently one of the highest-ranking individuals in British Archery, so should encounter no problems qualifying.
That doesn’t mean he’s taking his place for granted, though.
He said: “I still need to qualify for Tokyo but I’m confident that I can do that.
“The selection shoot is in
April or May, so there’s time to fine tune a few things before that so I can shoot my best.
“I need a bit of time to adjust as well because I’ll be shooting outdoors — most of the main competitions including the Paralympics are outdoors — but, in Berlin, it was an indoor event, so it’s a little different.
“We were able to get two quota spots for GB in my category, which is compound male, so I’m very confident that I can be there in Tokyo.”
Ten years ago, aged 18 and a promising rugby player, Nathan was riding his motorbike back from a friend’s house when he was involved in a collision with an oncoming car.
He was told that he’d never walk again but that didn’t stop him from pursuing a career in sports, initially playing wheelchair basketball before taking up archery.
The lifestyle of an international paralympic archer isn’t a cheap one, though, while managing a busy work and home life schedule is a challenge and Nathan is hoping his success can attract new sponsors.
He commented: “I get a bit of Lottery funding but it doesn’t cover the costs. I train in Lilleshall in Shropshire,
so there’s a lot of travel and costs involved because that’s a 600-mile round trip.
“I also need to refresh my equipment before Tokyo and that’s obviously a major cost but you can’t compete at an event like the Paralympics and not have perfect equipment.
It’s not the place where you want something to stop working.
“I get help from sponsors for some things but not everything and it’s a struggle to juggle home life, work and archery and then add in the costs of that as well.
“It’s a busy schedule and it can be a challenge, but it’s what I need to do if I want to be at the top and have a successful career.”
The Tokyo Paralympics will take place from August 25 to September 6 and Nathan is quietly confident he can medal, expecting to compete in both the individual and mixed team events.
He said: “I had a really good 2019 and claimed some big scalps who were expecting to beat me. That means that I know I can beat them but a lot of things have to go your way as well.
“I’m confident I can challenge for a medal in both competitions, if everything aligns, and it would be incredible to get a medal in the Paralympics.
“I’m performing well just now and just won in Berlin against a decent field. There’s a few months before Tokyo to get everything ironed out, too, and hopefully I can keep on this path and really challenge to bring home a medal.”
I still need to qualify, but I am confident that I can do it
It’s a struggle to juggle everything, but you need to do it to hit the top
If anyone is interested in sponsoring Nathan, you can contact him directly via nathanmac1991@ hotmail. co.uk.