The British Paralympic Archery Team won two gold medals at this year's Paralympics. The man that led the team to Olympic glory comes from Felixstowe, and started off shooting at his local club in Suffolk.
I spoke to David Hilton, Manager of the Great Britain Paralympic Archery Team, about his success.Ìý
David, how long have you been manager of the team?
 | | David Hilton in Athens |
Since 2001 - my first trip with the team was as assistant manager to Nymburk in the Czech Republic. I then went to a European Championship in Poland in 2002 and we came back with four golds. Last year we went to the world championships in Madrid, winning two silvers and we have had two training trips recently to Arizona in order to acclimatise to Athens. You must feel very proud of the team’s efforts this year? Most definitely, over the past 3 years the team has worked very hard. The Paralympics require a lot of time and effort from the archers and staff. I was very proud of the team. The raising of the Union Jack was amazing - I had tears in my eyes. Do you take part in the sport yourself?
 | | David Hilton |
Yes, I started at my local club, the Deben Archery Club in 1993. I was playing wheelchair basketball at the time but I’d always wanted to have a go at archery so I did a beginners course and it went on from there. In 1995 I got involved with the British Wheelchair Archery Association and eventually moved on to European and Paralympic level. Do you feel happy in your current role as manager rather than a competitor? I’d love to compete again – I’ve shot for Great Britain twice, in the 1996 World Wheelchair Games and at the 1997 European Indoor Championships in Belgium, but due a shoulder injury, I haven’t competed since. I am happy as a manager, but would like to have the time to compete locally again.
 | | 2004 Paralympics - Athens |
Archery is a sport where those with disabilities are able to compete against the able-bodied with no disadvantage.Ìý How difficult is archery and what are its rewards? There are a lot of rewards in any sport. Put in the time and the effort and you get to the top. One thing about archery that most people are not aware of is that it’s not just shooting arrows. You have to keep yourself very fit and work out at the gym. It takes a great deal of concentration and you must keep yourself mentally alert as well. Would you like to see more disabled archers compete in the Olympics as well as the Paralympics? Yes, definitely, people can compete in both. We compete against able bodied archers all the time. We beat them as well. Can you see archery becoming more popular in the future?
 | | British archers in Athens |
At the moment it’s becoming more popular, with Alison Williamson (GB Team Olympic Archer) and us with our 2 golds, we are hoping to raise the sport’s profile.
There are not many wheelchair archers in the UK, but we hope this will change in the future! =======
David got involved with archery at the Deben Archery Club.
Website: http://www.deben-archery.org.uk
More information about archery can be found at The Grand National Archery Society website: http://www.gnas.org/ÌýÌý | 
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