Kyle Tremblay goes shot for shot with world number 1 in Para archery quarter-finals

First-time Paralympian Kyle Tremblay matched world-ranked number one, Rakesh Kumar from India, in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Para archery men’s compound open quarter-final round, falling just short after a suspenseful shoot-off.

“I shot my best. I shot hard. I got a 10 on the final shoot-off arrow. Those last arrows just sometimes come down to a bit of luck and skill and today just wasn’t my day,” Tremblay said after his event.

After matching each other with 29 points apiece in the first end, the two remained close throughout the round, with Tremblay taking slight leads in the second and third ends going up 29-28 and 30-29 respectively. In the fourth end, Kumar caught up, scoring 30 points against Tremblay’s 27.

“I had that one end with three nines, which would have, if I got one 10, that would have kept this from going to a tiebreaker shot,” Tremblay said, reflecting on the outcome of the match.

With one end to go, and one point separating the two, the match continued to be neck in neck into the fifth end.

Kumar out shot Tremblay in the fifth, but only one point, making the score even at 144, and forcing the pair to enter a shoot-off to determine who would advance.

In the shoot-off, both arrows landed in the 10 circle, so the match had to be decided by exact measurement. Tremblay’s shot landed 29.5mm from the centre bulls-eye, while Kumar’s landed just shy of the centre mark, only 3mm away. Kumar took the match with those mere millimeters and has advanced to the semifinals.

“I think it’ll take some time to let this sink in, but I was really hoping to get to that extra round and see if I could get a medal,” Tremblay shared about his result.

Prior to Paris 2024 Tremblay was ranked 12th in the world, so to have held his own in an elimination match against the world-ranked number one is no small feat. With this being his first ever Paralympic Games, this success foreshadows other greatness that is sure to follow at his future competitions.

“It is my first Paralympics, so just getting here was very special,” he said. “And to do it with Linda, my coach, was even more special. I think this has just fuelled me even more for Los Angeles and my training will just improve and I will improve and you can expect a better Tremblay for 2028.”