A brother and sister duo from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, are making waves in the world of British archery – with the former smashing a UK junior record at the Indoor Nationals last weekend.
22-year-old Izzy Carpenter, and her 19-year-old brother Adam, both had successful weekends at the Indoor Nationals and TRU Ball Axcel Back2Back competitions in Coventry.
Adam broke the UK junior record during the qualifying round of the men’s Indoor National competition – scoring 595 out of a possible 600.
This means that Adam only failed to find the centre of the target five times out the 60 shots taken in qualifying – with all shots hitting the gold from a distance of 18 meters.
Adam said: “That was what we call a world class score – which I am very proud of.
“I think I beat the record by about six points – that is one to be proud of, definitely, and hopefully one that will stay for a while.”
Despite competing in the men’s draw and not the junior section, Adam was still able to break the junior record given that he is only 19.
The score saw Adam qualify in 1st place going into the final rounds, where he ultimately placed 4th.
Preceding the Indoor National event was the TRU Ball Axcel Back2Back competition – an invitation only event for the top 30 ranked archers nationally plus a select few others.
The format sees archers go head-to-head with only 90 seconds to shoot three arrows, and four ends being shot in each match-up.
Izzy made it all the way to the final, taking home a silver medal.
She said: “It was a really amazing event for me. It’s the third or fourth time I’ve made the top six now, but the first time I’ve podiumed.
“I was really impressed with how I shot – it was a very nerve-racking event, but great fun. Coming away with the silver medal was just amazing.”
In the men’s draw, Adam defeated the world number one, Dutch archer Mike Schloesser, in the second round, again finishing 4th overall.
The pair have competed around the globe, representing Great Britain at multiple international events – most recently at the World Championships in September, hosted in South Dakota, USA.
Izzy added: “I had done two junior World Championships in the past, but this was my first as a senior. The event was incredible, with so many big names and talented people there – it was just an amazing competition to be a part of.”
The latest spike in cases of Coronavirus, and the emergence of the new Omicron variant, means that Izzy and Adam are likely to miss upcoming international events – with championships in French city Nîmes, as well as one in Las Vegas scheduled for February.
Tony Carpenter, Izzy and Adam’s dad and coach said: “Covid is a bit of a challenge at the minute. Currently we’re shooting indoors so there may be possible restrictions.
“I think the next big competitions will be outdoors in May/June time – but there are some international events there that they will be competing in.”
Despite any Covid setbacks, the pair both have high hopes for the future.
Adam said: “I want to be world champion, simple as that really. I want to travel the world, and end up as the senior world champion and world number one.”