South Shields archer to represent Great Britain in World Championships

Dillon Crow of South Shields is set to compete in the Hyundai Archery World Cup Stage 3 in Columbia representing Great Britain this month where only the best archers from across the world are invited to compete.

Although 21-year-old Dillon has competed at junior level placing second in a mixed team event at European Youth Cup in Romania and as a senior in the European Grand Prix Stage 1 this will be the first time he's competed internationally as a senior.

Dillon who works part time at Nearby Taxis took up archery 11 years ago after watching the Olympics. He and his dad started shooting in December 2012 and passed their beginners course in March 2013. In 2016 he moved to a compound bow and has shot that since.

Speaking ahead of the competition, Dillon said: "It means a lot to me to be able to represent my country internationally. It was always a goal since I moved to Compound.

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"I have a lot of support from friends and family as all international trips are not fully funded as we don't have enough funding available for our division through the National Governing Body.

"I am feeling confident in my abilities, and the amount of training I have been doing is definitely helping my confidence. I was concerned about my levels of practice with only having a short time to prepare.

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"But, I have been able to put in extra hours at the practice field (Boldon) and I'm feeling good about the tournament."

Dillon is also fundraising for the tournament to help cover the costs of the trip. Donations can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-gb-athlete-go-to-wc-colombia