Peter Argent, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

Moonta Area School student Brock Penna is targeting a future in Olympic recurve archery.

The 14-year-old year 9 student first developed an interest in the sport after receiving a bow for Christmas six years ago. Now, he is South Australia’s top-ranked under 18 archer and sits second nationally in his age group.

“My goal is to earn a place in an Olympic squad and stand on the podium with a medal,” Penna said.

Recurve archery, the Olympic discipline for able-bodied competitors, involves shooting 72 arrows at a 70 metre target to achieve the highest aggregate score.

Over Easter, Penna will compete at the Australian Youth National Championships in Canberra.

“I need to be ranked in the top three nationally to qualify for the World Youth Archery Championships in Winnipeg, Canada, from August 17 to 24,” he said.

A member of Adelaide Archery Club, Penna began his training with Yorke Peninsula Field Archers in Kadina and is coached by Graham Winston at Archery GW.

He has also competed at the Senior Nationals in 2024 and is part of the Archery Australia National Recurve Program, which supports athletes aiming for international success.

The Australian Institute of Sport and Archery Australia have identified him as an emerging elite athlete.

Upcoming competitions include the Lord Mayor team event at Oakbank on March 30.

With archery receiving less media attention than football or netball, Penna is self-funding his journey.

His recurve bow setup costs around $5000, and he is running a raffle to help cover expenses, with tickets available at various outlets.

Penna and his family are grateful to all the businesses, which have supported this initiative (see personal thanks notice in this issue).

This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 12 March 2025.