From archer to illustrator: Antonella Ballarin’s new chapter in the sport

Whilst being a professional athlete makes for a fantastic career, it does not last forever.

Whilst a career as a professional athlete can be hugely rewarding, it does not last forever. Careers vary in length across sports, but advances in medical and sports science have helped athletes remain competitive for longer by adapting their training programmes and routines as they age.

Eventually, however, the time comes to step away from international competition. For many archers, that means staying involved in the sport as a coach or official, or returning to a career they pursued before prioritising shooting.

For former Italian recurve archer Antonella Ballarin, retirement from senior international competition opened the door to an unexpected creative pursuit: illustrating children’s activity books.

Ballarin spent 10 years as a young learner teacher before working at a museum in Venice for 26 years. It was her experience in education, however, that has had the biggest impact on her life in archery since she stepped away from senior competition, although she has continued to shoot in masters events.

The idea for her first activity book came when she bought an iPad and discovered a drawing app.

“A new world opened up to me, like a magic world,” said Ballarin, who represented Italy at the Antalya 1993 and Jakarta 1995 World Archery Championships. “I decided to do some of these activity books for children who get bored when they go with their parents to the post office, the bank or the supermarket.”

She initially created an activity book about Iceland, a country she often visits on holiday. She then turned to a subject she knew equally well: archery.

Have Fun with Archery is a 64-page activity book for children aged six to eight. It features basic written and numerical tasks that young learners can complete while accompanying their parents to the range or at home and elsewhere.

Ballarin created all the illustrations herself, drawing on a creative streak that had also led her to take up photography and art as hobbies.

PDF copies of the Italian-language book have been sent to all archery clubs in her home region of Veneto. On 11 October 2026, she met representatives of the clubs to discuss the possibility of printing copies for wider use.

If the project moves forward, she hopes to make the book available free of charge to clubs in other regions of Italy. For Ballarin, its value goes beyond keeping children occupied while their parents shoot.

“It is dedicated to children who also know this sport because they have to do some maths and they have to know some rules about shooting,” she said.

She wants the activities to help children learn about archery while encouraging them to engage more actively than they might when using a phone.

“I think that they can put down their phone and do something with their hands and try to make their brain work better because when you scroll on your phone, you are passive,” she said. “But I think it’s interesting for children also to try to do something with their hands, with their brain, and not to be always in front of a screen.”

Ballarin has also translated the book into English, potentially opening it up to a wider audience. The Icelandic federation already has access to the PDF version and can print copies for use locally.

Her connection with Iceland extends beyond her holidays and her first book. Gummi Gudjonsson, president of World Archery Iceland, encouraged her to consider an English edition after receiving a printed copy.

He also suggested that she contact publishers. For now, however, Ballarin is more interested in getting the book into the hands of children than in making money from it.

“I’m at my first step, so I’m not thinking about publishing the book,” said the three-time Italian recurve women’s national champion. “I would like it to be used by people in the field, by the children. I don’t want to make a business out of the book.”

She believes Have Fun with Archery could offer something new, noting that she has not come across another activity book dedicated to the sport.

There is also support from her own national federation. Italy has agreed to use the book as part of Scuola Attiva (Active School), a national sporting project that introduces preschool and primary school children to a variety of sports, including archery.

It is an interesting turn for someone whose own journey in archery began relatively late. Ballarin first picked up a bow at the age of 28, having spent the previous two years photographing competitions at her local club in Lido.

It was her late brother-in-law, Fabio Amadi, a silver medallist at the Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games, who encouraged her to take up the sport. Ballarin dedicates her activity book to him.

Ten years after beginning archery, she reached the Italian senior national recurve squad. She went on to become a three-time national champion, set eight national records and win nine national championship gold medals.

At Antalya 1993, she briefly held the Italian women’s recurve national record before one of her teammates surpassed it at the same competition.

Now 71, Ballarin is recovering from a shoulder injury and hopes to return to shooting. In the meantime, her latest creative project gives her another way to contribute to the sport and encourage the next generation to take up a bow.

Her hope is that clubs will use the book to make sessions with children more engaging, combining shooting with activities that help them learn and stay interested.

“I hope they’ll use my book to make the sessions with the children more attractive because sometimes we want children to shoot for one or two hours without doing anything else,” she said. “But I think it could be a good idea to make our lessons more interesting.”

Images courtesy of Antonella Ballarin and Gummi Gudjonsson.