Kieran Slater has turned his attentions to making Team GB’s squad for Rio after bowing out of the European Championships in Baku following a shoot off with France’s Pierre Plihon.
The archer made steady progress through the first two rounds and started Monday with an emphatic 6-0 win over Turkey’s Yagiz Yilmaz.
That set up a clash with the Frenchman and it was a match that started well as Slater went 2-0 in the first set in the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium.
It was honours even with one apiece in the second before the Frenchman levelled things in the third.
Slater took two in the fourth but Plihon once again clawed it back and eventually got the better of the Brit in the shoot off.
But Slater admits he was happy with his performances in Azerbaijan and is already charting his course to next summer’s Olympics.
“It was quite exhilarating going out there, it was a lot hotter than I am used to but I really enjoyed it,” said the 21-year-old.
“I’m quite pleased with how I have shot in the head to heads and all the ranking rounds are really close these days so it was anyone’s game.
“Each end was close and it seemed like it would be heading for a shoot off throughout the match because it was going one way and then the other.
“I tried to just stay focused during the shoot off and I think I managed to do that fairly well and I learned things from it.
“It’s the first time I’ve done a shoot off for a while so I have definitely learned and I enjoyed it.
“My initial goal was to make the last 16 so I feel happy and relieved and a little bit hot.
“We have a selection shoot next weekend back in the UK for the World Championships so hopefully I’ll get selected for that team and can go on to Rio.”
© Sportsbeat 2015