Interview with Larry « Lionheart » Godfrey (GBR)

 
When we look back at the 2011 season, it seems that none of the British team’s archers succeeded very well. No archer brought an individual medal back home. What happened?
Yes that’s right… We are still trying (laughs). However, I put up about 11 personal bests this year. We are scoring in the right direction at the moment and medals will come, maybe next year! Next year, London will welcome the Olympic Games but don’t you think, as an organising country, that you as archers are sitting in a sort of comfortable position knowing that you don’t need to earn an Olympic slot?
No, absolutely not. I think there’s even more pressure on us as the host nation. There are a lot more interviews, more expectations (…) a lot more than back in Beijing 2008. When we were at the Worlds in Torino, we qualified 6th so this means that we virtually got the Olympic slots. In other words, the job was done. Can you tell us a little bit more about the media’s expectations with the British archers’ team?
We have at least one or two interviews a week and this takes a lot of time when you have a lot of work, a family and so on. We still have to do the “media stuff”; it’s important for the country, important for archery and British archery… it’s a lot to juggle at the moment. Hopefully I’ll be a good winner this season again, do a lot of training like I did last year and then I’ll be ready for 2012. Even after the Olympics, we get a lot of interests from the media; even from pupils in schools … we need to enhance the interest for archery as much as possible and then the sport can grow naturally. Perhaps I could do to this as a gold medallist! Does this mean that you’re practicing much more than you used to in the past?
Well, I looked through my diary over the past 8 years and it looks like everything worked in a good way for me. The routine I ran last winter worked very well, so I should probably repeat that next winter as well. As I said before, I put up lots of personal bests this year so I’m definitely on the right track.  Do you consider yourself as the current leader of the British team?
Well, Simon TERRY has been the British number 1 archer for few years now. However this year I qualified first in the British team in every international competition so I am quite satisfied with my achievements. We have the GB Series Final next weekend and I ranked in the top three archers at each of the five events. I’m on the top of that at the moment, so… I’m having a good season and it’s nice to be back in the number one spot in Great Britain. I think I’m a lot more confident in my work you know. I trained solidly for five months to get the preparation right. What if you or one of the British archers were to become Olympic Champion next year?
That would be fantastic! That’s the dream of being an Olympic gold medallist in your country, your home soil… I’ve done two Olympic Games now: I didn’t have good results in the first one then a quite good result in the second, so I have made two different Olympics and I know what it’s going to take to make that podium in the next one. Don’t you feel a little bit disappointed with your fourth place in Athens 2004, just beside the podium?
At the time, right in the moment, yes. When on reflection, people normally knew what I was looking for. I already ranked fourth in a previous European Grand Prix but I didn’t have any real expectation in 2004. I think I qualified 31st if I remember well, that was “ok” you know. I met Magnus PETERSSON (SWE) in the second elimination round; he was seeded number 2 and I said to myself “there you go”. I beat him, so why would it be any different with my other opponents? I met Marco GALIAZZO (ITA) in the semi finals and that was a tough match. A match of Champions you know. I just shot a bad arrow, just out of the ring and that was it. This fourth place was good but I had to wait with the medallists before the bus went back to the venue, hanging around, and then I realised that I didn’t have a medal around my neck. It was like “oh no…”. You have a tattoo on your right arm and there will be a new line on it next year – each line is dedicated to it’s ranking at the Olympics, laying under the symbolic Lion of the British team – what does this tattoo mean to you?
Well, for sure I will make a special one for London 2012 if I get the Olympic gold medal! I’ve got to think about it (laughs). When I won my first medal at the age of 11 or 12, thinking of the Olympic Games was just a dream and I just started to live this dream since Athens 2004. There are not many British Olympian athletes who competed more than once, so I started to show off really and stamped my mark. This tattoo has the meaning of the dream I’m living.  Does the fact that the tournament will take place at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London next year make it special for the British Team?
To be honest, I don’t make any difference between the Olympic Games, World Cups or World Championships: to me, personally, there’s no competition. That’s the way I looked at it in Athens, then Beijing. I will meet the same people there, the ones I already know. So Lord’s Cricket Ground has a lot of history, this is a prestigious venue… That will be good. How do you feel about the new set system, which will be run for the first time at the Olympics?
You always need to get used to changes, right? We’ve been trying it for a year now and this makes a real change compared to cumulative scoring of 18 or 12 arrows you know. The best archers should be able to get through it. I really fit that new set system. A lot of upsets can happen and any of the last 16 archers can win gold. Anyone can shoot three ends with a score of 29 and go for it. It’s just a shame that we are not running the mixed teams in the Olympics yet. In the 2009 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, I just wanted to beat Simon TERRY and make the mixed team but there was no mixed team (laughs)! In 2012, I’m disappointed because there will be no chance for a medal in this category. It’s a shame that you can have so many medals in all other archery events and not in this one where you worked hard to qualify! Maybe in Rio 2016 but no one knows yet who will be in. We know that Alan WILLS (GBR) and you are best friends: how do you help each other in a tournament or on a bad day?
Indeed. We always look out for each other. Like keeping an eye on little things and so on. We also make sure that everything stays positive… We are all different characters, all different ages in the training centre of Lilleshall and it’s quite difficult to run a perfect friendship with each other sometimes.   Jean-Denis GITTON World Archery Communication