A Lichfield student is celebrating after breaking a junior British archery record.
Edward Gray, who attends Maple Hayes Dyslexia School, won the Recurve Boys’ trophy at the annual Cleve Junior Tournament in Bristol.
The Meriden Archery Club competitor – who only took up the sport in 2018 – scored 958 points in the junior Windsor round to break a 10-year-old British record.
His mother Sharon Gray said:
“I am absolutely over the moon for Edward. He has really excelled at archery since he tried it out and the smile on his face when he realised he had broken the record was beautiful to see.
“His coaches have really taken him under their wing and brought out this real love for the sport and incredible talent.”
Sharon Gray
Meriden Archery Club coach Philippa Lowe hailed the achievement as “amazing” – and has tipped him as a future star archer.
“It was a very strong record to beat and Edward had a perfect score in one of his distances.
“I’ve coached a lot of people but he is probably one of the best all-round archers – the whole package. It’s down to his commitment, maturity and dedication.
“He has progressed so much in the past few months, which is all the more remarkable seeing as he had to be coached virtually during lockdown.
“He is outstanding and I hope he will go on to represent Great Britain.”
Philippa Lowe
Edward’s weekly training includes shooting between 500 and 600 arrows as well as strength and conditioning exercises.
Maple Hayes headteacher, Dr Daryl Brown, said:
“We are all very proud of Edward’s achievements.
“He is a fantastic ambassador for our school and his focus, commitment and ambition is a great example to all young athletes in the UK.”
Dr Daryl Brown
