Victoria Sebastian on her breakthrough indoor season and first senior title

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT is presented by WIAWIS.

France’s Victoria Sebastian claimed the recurve women’s title at the Taipei Archery Open in December 2025, securing her first senior individual crown after a breakout indoor season last year hinted that a major victory was only a matter of time.

The 21-year-old from Nimes, a strong advocate of a cool and analytical approach to shooting, was clear about what made the difference.

“I would say I succeeded in Taipei because I stayed focused on my process, with a lot of rigour on every arrow, while still keeping a playful mindset.”

She managed to get over an airline hiccup which saw her bow arrive just 30 minutes before qualification began on the Friday.

“It caused a bit of stress because it was the first time something like that had happened to me,” she explained. “It slightly affected my first ends in qualification, before I managed to relax and shoot in the most stable and precise way possible.”

Remarkably, all three travelling French archers – Sebastian, Baptiste Addis, and Jean-Charles Valladont – medalled in Taipei, with Addis taking bronze in recurve men and Valladont silver.

Even more remarkably, they all come from the same club: Arc Club de Nîmes, which has produced many international medallists over the last decades.

Did that make a difference – even subconsciously?

“Yes, our group dynamic definitely played a role,” said Victoria. “Being several athletes from the same club, and training together on a daily basis, means we know each other well. That creates a good atmosphere and strong synergy within this small group. I also think we all came to enjoy shooting archery.”

Sebastian discovered the sport ‘on a family holiday in the mountains’ at the age of eight, joining the Montpellier Arc Club and training there for nine years under Howard Catherine, now one of the coaches at the World Archery Excellence Centre in Lausanne (Switzerland).

In 2021, aged 17, she was part of the French cadet team that won gold at the Wroclaw 2021 World Archery Youth Championships, alongside Caroline Lopez and Amélie Cordeau. She was quickly selected for the ‘Pôle Espoir’ programme for aspiring athletes before joining the national team in 2023 at the training centre in Paris.

She narrowly missed out on the Paris 2024 Olympic team, finishing an agonising fourth and being named as the alternate for Lopez, Cordeau and Lisa Barbelin. She did, however, take individual bronze and team gold at the European Youth Outdoor Championships that summer.

Failing to make an Olympic team has ended some archers’ careers, but it did not derail Sebastian.

“I would say my main strength is tenacity,” she said.

The start of 2025 brought three major indoor results: bronze at her hometown Nimes Archery Tournament, silver at the Samsun 2025 European Indoor Championships, and another silver at the Vegas Shoot, where Sebastian tied eventual champion Casey Kaufhold and forced a final on the big stage.

In Taipei, Sebastian beat three Koreans on her way to the title, including reigning World Archery Champion Kang Chaeyoung and youth team world gold medallist Han Sol.

What does it feel like to beat a world champion?

“I didn’t immediately think about the fact that I had beaten a world champion, because I deliberately detached myself from that idea to stay focused on myself,” admitted Victoria. “Still, it’s a small satisfaction to see that I’m capable of doing it indoors.”

Sebastian explained that indoor shooting emphasises mental focus more than technical mastery. She has been working on technical adjustments since 2023 with the Korean head coach, noting that her balance differs between 18 metres and 70 metres due to changes in angle and the power required over longer distances.

While her results on the 2025 outdoor World Cup circuit were not spectacular, perhaps it was inevitable that a big indoor result was coming.

“I’m still working on achieving a shot that is more stable, more precise, better balanced and more relaxed at long distance,” she said.

Upon arriving in Taipei, Sebastian’s main goal was to enjoy shooting at the indoor distance and identify areas for technical improvement. She approaches indoor competitions with lightness, seeing them primarily as preparation for the outdoor season.

Sebastian said she uses world circuit events to develop her mental approach in competition and gain experience, adding that it would be a success if she could apply her preparation and ideally improve on the previous year.

Sebastian will next compete in her hometown at the Nimes tournament in 2026, where she hopes to improve on her bronze from 2025.

And then?

“Since my main objective remains the outdoor season, I approach the indoor season with a certain lightness, seeing these competitions primarily as preparation,” said Sebastian.

“My objectives are to continue raising my level at 70 metres and to gain experience at international competitions, in preparation for the Los Angeles 2028 and 2032 Olympic Games.”

No shortage of ambition then.