The New Zealand Olympic Committee has selected a promising Canterbury archer for the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games.
16 year old Rebecca Jones from Oxford Area School will be the first New Zealand archer to compete at an edition of the Youth Olympic Games.
Jones was inspired to take up archery after watching the popular Hunger Games movie almost six years ago.
“I idolised Katniss Everdeen when I watched The Hunger Games. I wanted to shoot like her so I joined an archery club with my school friend and loved it more than I expected, right from the very beginning,” said Jones.
Jones gained selection after securing the New Zealand quota spot at the Continental Qualifying Tournament in New Caledonia in July.
“I love the environments I get to shoot in and the people I meet through the sport. Archery pushes both my body and my mind,” said Jones.
The 2018 Youth Olympic Games will be the third summer youth Games, following those in Singapore in 2010 and Nanjing in 2014.
The Games are a development opportunity for the world's most promising young athletes, allowing them to experience a multi-sport games environment while exposing them to learning and cultural opportunities and helping them on the performance pathway.
Archery New Zealand’s Karen Moffatt-McLeod extended her congratulations to Rebecca.
“Rebecca tackles every challenge head on, both sporting and academic. She has strong mental fortitude and did an amazing job to gain qualification. She will represent New Zealand extremely well at the Youth Olympic Games.”
New Zealand Olympic Committee CEO Kereyn Smith is thrilled to have an archery athlete representing New Zealand at the Games.
“It’s fantastic to have Rebecca selected for this competition and we hope it will pave the way for further archers to attend in the future. We look forward to watching Rebecca take on the best young athletes in the world in October.”
Olivia Sloan has been selected as the non-travelling reserve.
The Youth Olympic Games run from October 6–18, 2018, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
