Naomi to carry on regardless (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Naomi to carry on regardless

2:00pm Friday 18th January 2013 in Sportsview

KIDDERMINSTER archer Naomi Folkard has vowed to carry on competing despite losing her funding from UK Sports.

The 29-year-old learned last week she will not receive funding to help in her efforts.

Despite the setback, she is determined to carry and has targeted qualifying for the World Championships later in the year.

The cut in funding is a result of Team GB’s poor display at the London 2012 Olympics, where they failed to win a medal.

That saw UK Sports’ funding to British Archery reduced from £4,408,000 to £3,135,977.

Folkard, herself had a disappointing Games despite qualifying impressively.

However, early exits in the team and individual recurve categories saw her miss out.

But she won silver at the Las Vegas Cup festival, finished fourth at the World Indoor Championships, won her division at the UK Masters, came fourth in the Berlin Open and was ranked top of the UK standings for a 12th consecutive year.

“I still intend to train and compete, it’s just I will have to find a part-time job to help pay for it all,” Folkard said. “I need to raise about £15,000 this year to help pay for travel and places to stay.

“I was disappointed with the loss of funding, I won international medals last year but unfortunately not in the major tournament.

“We put together a plan for Rio but unfortunately, they wanted something longer term.”

Despite the bad news, she was in good form at Stourbridge Company of Archers’ annual FITA 25 tournament at the weekend, where she shot a new national record.

The well-attended indoor shoot held at Waseley Hills High School in Rednal, involved 60 arrows, shot over 25 metres at a 60 centimetre target face.

Folkard, who has been shooting some terrific scores recently, shot 584 out of a possible 600, to put three points on the national record currently held by Athens Olympian Helen Palmer (Welbeck).

Redditch’s Sue Davis was second with a score of 546.

The Wyre Forest archer is off to Nimes later this week, at her own expense, to shoot in the Indoor Archery World Cup event.