A Sussex doctoral researcher and Sussexsport Sports Scholar is celebrating after winning silver at the annual BUCS Indoor Archery Championships.
Jennifer Mankin, a doctoral researcher and Associate Tutor in the School of Psychology, represented Sussex at the tournament in Telford, which took place on Saturday 6 February.
Jennifer, who competes in the Ladies Barebow category, has already won gold at BUCS outdoor events (for Edinburgh) and holds 11 outdoor and two indoor Scottish records.
Over 700 archers participated in the tournament including other members of the university archery club, many of whom were competing in the high-pressure competition for the first time.
Jennifer was matched up on a target with Lizzy Rees, a world champion field archer representing the University of Bath, and had a close-fought match across the entire score. Jennifer finished the competition on 511 points, just four behind gold winner Lizzy.
Jennifer said: “In true BUCS style, the competition was tough but friendly, and inspired both of us to shoot to the best of our ability.”
In preparation for the Championships, Jennifer trained at least twice a week at Sussexsport facilities in the six weeks leading up to the competition. Jennifer, who is a Sports Scholar and is funded by the Sussex Fund, said that the support from the university – including having a mentor – was crucial to her success. She said:
“The support from the Sports Union, Sports Scholar program and Sussex Fund for training, coaching and practice time was a vital component in the successes we saw this weekend.
“I am very grateful for the enthusiastic support from the university, extremely proud of the performance of all of our archers, and very pleased and honoured to represent Sussex and bring a medal home.”
Jennifer is now setting her sights on the BUCS Outdoor Archery Championships, her strongest event, which take place on the 11-12 June 2016 at Lilleshall National Sports Centre.