WORCESTER archer Mel Clarke has spoken of her pride at clinching a bronze medal at the World Para Archery Championships in Bangkok.
After losing to eventual winner Burcu Dag, of Turkey, in a closely-fought semi final, Clarke bounced back to defeat Ukraine’s Larysa Mikhnieva to land a place on the podium.
The 31-year-old was bidding to win her first world championship title since 2005 and was in a strong position going into the last four having finished second in the qualifying rounds.
But Clarke told the Observer she was delighted to add another medal to her collection as she looks ahead to the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016.
“A gold medal would have been great, but to have been beaten by the eventual winner and to have come so close I think it is something I can be really proud of,” she said.
“I had shot with her in the qualifying rounds and we are were evenly matched, so it was always going to be a difficult one to call. I shot really well, but she shot that little bit better.
“It has been a long season as we are usually finished by September, so to go out, compete and come back with a bronze medal is brilliant. Third in the world is a great place to be.
Clarke added: “Going forward, I’m looking forward to a break as I need to recover and have time with my family over Christmas before preparing for next season. We have the European championships in 2014, which will be great preparation for Rio.”
Clarke was part of a successful Great Britain team in Thailand as they helped themselves to seven medals, including two golds.
But their performance was overshadowed by the news that Danielle Brown, who Clarke lost to in last year’s Paralympic Games in London, has been ruled out of future Para archery event due to a change in classification.
Brown’s absence is likely to improve Clarke’s future medal prospects, but the Worcester archer said it was not something she could comment on at this stage.
