Bull’s-eye! The arrow drills into the target with enormous speed. Archer Willem Bakker from Waalre shoots almost only tens. The roughly twenty metres that the arrow has to travel is therefore a piece of cake for him. Seventy metres is more his thing. And cross-country shooting, a discipline in which he recently became European champion.
“I always compare it to golf,” says Willem, as he walks through the wooded grounds of the De Vriendschap archery club. “In field shooting you shoot at 24 targets. In golf, these are the holes. You have to deal with different distances and different angles. You also shoot up or down. So all different challenges in an ever-changing environment.”
Experience
In contrast to target shooting at seventy metres (Willem also ranks among the top Dutch), it is not only the skill, but also the judgment of the shooter that plays a role. “It takes a lot of practice and experience. Little things like shadows or the fall of light make all the difference.”
Olympics
The 23-year-old shooter from De Vriendschap in Waalre has been shooting since 2015 and seems to be improving every year. As European champion he can go to the World Shooting Championships in Canada, but Willem actually has other ambitions. “I really want to go to the Olympic Games. I don’t know if the World Cup still fits in my agenda.”
The Netherlands still has two chances to qualify for the Games, where shooting will take place. However, it is uncertain whether Willem will also be allowed to participate. The first opportunity will be in May next year. “We don’t have any Olympic tickets yet. So as the Netherlands, we still have to get them first.”
According to Willem, this can be done as a team, but also individually. “In the latter situation you only get one place. It is better to make it as a team, because then three shooters are assured a ticket for Paris. We can qualify through the European Championship in Essen or during the World Cup final in Antalya. The last option is via the world rankings.”
Pretty crazy
So it will be exciting for Willem, who has to pay for everything himself and, in addition to a lot of training, also has a job. Willem finished fourth at the last National Championships, but he is not part of the Dutch team. “I think that’s pretty crazy. Although I don’t want to and can’t say too much about it.”
The reason for this reserved attitude is that Willem had a major confrontation with the national coach. “I have previously spoken out about this in the media and subsequently did not receive a nice response from the Royal Archery of the Netherlands. So I am keeping a low profile now, because I want to avoid being hopeless in advance of the Olympics. I hope to let my performance speak for itself!”
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Lila Mehrez
