BRIMPAEN’S Tori Dunn came close to defending her International Field Archery Association world championship gold medal against one of the best archers in the world.
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Dunn captured the female bowhunter recurve title at the 2012 World Field Archery Championships and finished runner-up at the 2014 instalment in the US.
Shooting against American ace Sandy McCain, Dunn finished with a silver medal despite producing some of the best scores of her relatively short archery career.
Field archery comprises three sections – field, hunter and animal – which require varying styles.
Field division requires shots at different targets from different distances, hunter involves multiple shots at the same targets over varying distances and animal involves shooting at animal silhouette targets.
It is different from Olympic-style archery, which is shot at a set distance at the same target.
Dunn set a new Australian record score of 400 in the field component of the national championships in Hervey Bay, Queensland, in April.
She almost matched that score at the world championships, scoring 397 in the second field round.
The world record field score is 414.
She also posted a personal best of 408 in the first hunter round in the US.
Dunn finished with 2041 for the championships, behind only McCain’s winning total of 2123.
The pair was well ahead of third-placed Alesha Diniz, who finished with a total of 1451.
Dunn also shot as a guest at the US National Field Archery Association championships prior to the world championships.
On the last day of the American championships she beat McCain in the animal section with a score of 516 – a personal best.
Dunn said she was thrilled with her form at both tournaments.
“Irrespective of my performance in both the NFAA nationals and the IFAA worlds, I had hoped to improve my personal best scores and I was ecstatic with the 516,” she said.
“At the world championships my shooting surpassed the scores I put down in Hervey Bay and I gave Sandy McCain some solid competition.
“We were neck-and-neck on many of the shooting days and she had a lead of only 80 points at the end of the five days.”
Dunn, who only took up archery in 2011, said it had been a great experience.
“I made a bunch of new friends, learnt a lot and shot new personal best scores,” she said.
“The icing on the cake was receiving a silver medal in bowhunter recurve.
“Being runner-up to Sandy McCain – the world record-holder and a woman who has shot for 41 years – was an honour.
“It was the most enjoyable tournament I have participated in during my archery career.”
