Representing your country at the Olympic Games is undoubtedly the highlight of many athletes careers, and it is even more important for minor sports that only get shown on TV every few years at major world sporting showpieces.
Capetonian Karen Hultzer represented South Africa at the London Olympic Games in Archery, and Hultzer says this was definitely the proudest moment in her five-year career as an archer.
?I began doing archery when I was 42-years old,? the 47-year-old says. ?I have always been competitive, but had stopped active sport due to a back injury. I gave archery a try out of curiosity and I loved it,? she says.
Participating at the Olympic Games was a dream come true for her and an experience she will cherish for the rest of her life. ?It was such an honour to be wearing SA colours there. I was overwhelmed by the goodwill of people from all over the world. They embodied the spirit of the event and made me feel unbelievably supported.?
Consdiering that Hultzer only started doing archery competitively in 2008, it makes what she has achieved even more impressive. But it doesn?t come easy she says. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work.
?You need a lot of patience and concentration to become an archer. When I stand in a field shooting arrows, nothing else exists for me at that time.?
The lack of support and funding doesn?t help matters either she says.
?Being a minority sport, there is very little funding for the top archers to enable them to compete with international competitors, who train as full-time athletes. That entails six hours a day, six days a week of training. With a full time job, that is impossible,? she explains.
Although participation isn?t that high especially amongst women: it is steadily rising Hultzer says. The Olympic Games has increased interest in archery.
Movies like the hugely successful Hollywood blockbuster The Hunger Games, where heroine Katniss Everdeen uses her skills with a bow and arrow to survive and the animated film Brave have helped increase interest in the sport as well.
There is also a lot being done to increase participation at grassroots level Hultzer says.
?We are currently developing some schools programs to help grow the sport from the bottom up, but as it is not really a mass participation sport, this growth has been slow. With the new systems being put in place by the Department of Sport and Recreation, we are hoping that there will be more interest.?
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One of the best things about archery is that it does not discriminate, Hultzer says. You don?t have to be a certain weight, height or build to participate in it.
?It?s a sport where people of all ages and fitness levels can participate and quite fun when you show up the guys. It is also a very good sport for children with learning disabilities and those that do not fit in to mainstream sport.?
She grew up admiring tennis star and multiple Grand Slam winner Martina Navratilova she says. World record holder Park Sung Hyun and Coach Kim Hyung Tak are the people she most admires in archery.
Hultzer is also proudly South African and admires Professor Tim Noakes, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Mark Shuttleworth.
Her next goal as an archer is to represent South Africa at the next Olympic Games in Brazil and she also wants to help breed the next generation of South African archers.
?I would like to compete in the Rio Olympics in 2016 and then get more involved with sport from the coaching and development side, so others can benefit from the amazing experience I have gained.?
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Source: http://gsport.co.za/shooting-her-bow-to-the-top
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