Athlete of the Week: Petra ERICSSON (SWE)
Lausanne – 26 January 2012
Third place at Indoor World Cup Stage 2 in Nimes
The winner of the 2007 World Cup Final Petra ERICSSON has made her comeback to competitive archery after taking a long break to start a family. She returned with an outstanding performance at the Tournament of Nimes / Indoor World Cup stage 2 last weekend, winning an individual bronze medal in the compound category.Petra ERICSSON is famous for switching several times from recurve to compound archery and vice versa. After she set a world record in recurve at the World Championships 1991 in Finland and facing personal problems, she tried her hand at compound. Among other achievements in this bow category, she has medalled at Indoor, Outdoor and Field World Archery Championships and World Games in the 1990’s. She then switched again to compete at the Sydney 2000 Olympics in the recurve category! As her National Olympic Committee did not select her for the Athens 2004 Games, she stopped recurve again.
The Swedish archer came back to the compound circuit when the World Cup was launched in 2006. She excelled in the new competition the following year. Coached by her husband Mats INGE, she reached the gold medal final at both the Varese and Dover World Cup stages. She won the first one and lost the second, both times against Jamie VAN NATTA (USA). These performances earned her a trip to the World Cup Final in Dubai. In semifinals, ERICSSON faced Russia’s Anna KAZANTSEVA and won the match despite trailing after the first two ends; competing in the final against another Russian Sofia GONCHAROVA, ERICSSON clinched the gold medal after 11 arrows. What an accomplishment, considering that she was six months pregnant at the time!
ERICSSON took a long break from competitive archery after giving birth to her baby in 2008. She returned to international competition last weekend at the Tournament of Nimes, which also served as the Indoor World Cup stage 2. In France, she defeated the local favourite Joanna CHESSE (FRA) in quarterfinals. She tied the eventual gold medallist Danielle BROWN (GBR) after five sets, and lost the match in a close shoot-off, 10-10 (BROWN's being closest to the centre). In the final for bronze, ERICSSON faced Patricia LEGER (FRA) and secured the medal 7-3, for what looks like a very promising comeback. If she shoots well in Vegas, the Swede could very well be a contender for the Indoor World Cup Final!
Dubai 2007 World Cup Final winner
Biography Extract:
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3rd
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Compound Individual
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Indoor World Cup stage 2 Nimes
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2012
|
|
1st
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Compound Individual
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World Cup Final Dubai
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2007
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|
2nd
|
Compound Individual
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World Cup stage 4 Dover
|
2007
|
|
9th
|
Compound Individual
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World Archery Championships Leipzig
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2007
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|
1st
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Compound Individual
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World Cup stage 1 Varese
|
2007
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|
5th
|
Compound Individual
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World Cup stage 2 Antalya
|
2006
|
|
1st
|
Compound Team
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World Archery Field Championships Goteborg
|
2006
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|
1st
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Recurve Individual
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World Games Duisburg
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2005
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|
5th
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Recurve Individual
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World Archery Championships Beijing
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2001
|
|
30th
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Recurve Individual
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Olympic Games Sydney
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2000
|
|
1st
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Compound Individual
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World Games Lahti
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1997
|
|
1st
|
Compound Individual
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World Archery Field Championships Kranska Gora
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1996
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|
2nd
|
Compound Individual
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World Archery Championships Jakarta
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1995
|
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2nd
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Compound Individual
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World Archery Indoor Championships Birmingham
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1995
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5th
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Recurve Individual
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World Archery Championships Krakow
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1991
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4th
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Recurve Individual
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World Archery Indoor Championships Oulu
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1991
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8th
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Recurve Individual
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World Archery Championships Lausanne
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1989
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