Twenty-five is a big number... and for 25 different countries to compete in a single sporting tournament, winning multiple trophies is a tough thing to accomplish.
Austria was one of those rare countries during the 2019 World Archery 3D Championships held in Lac La Biche from September 2-7. The Austrian side won two gold medals with Karin Novi beating Italy's Michela Donati in the Instinctive Bow women's category, and Ingrid Ronicher in the Compound women's beating France's Elodie Galvez.
Austria's Karin Nova beats Italy's Michela Donati for the gold medal.
France's Elodie Galvez competes with Austria's Ingrid Ronacher for Gold.
The team also took Bronze in the men's Compound Category after Nico Wiener beat Italy's Jesse Sut, and Gereldine Ellermann in the Longbow women's category after beating USA's Amber Yott .
Amber Yott releases during the women's Longbow match for Bronze against Austria's Geraldine Ellermann
For bronze medalist Weiner, the podium finish is something he's accustomed, despite his young age. The 22-year-old Austrian has won several medals including Golds in Terni (2015) and Dublin (2016), a silver medal in Cortina last year, and now Bronze in Lac La Biche.
Wiener started archery in 2010 and made his international debut in 2014. This was his first time competing in Canada, and according to him, he has enjoyed his Canadian experience — especially during the finals at the Lac La Biche Mission Site... where the conditions were perfect, he says.
"The weather was pretty nice. It was perfect. The sun was perfect and there was no wind so it was really good conditions for shooting," Wiener told the POST following the medal presentation.
Bronze winner Nico Wiener from Austria compete with Italy's Jesse But in the men's Compound category.
When asked about how his experience coming to Lac La Biche for the archery tournament has been, smiled broadly.
"There couldn't be even one negative thing to say," he said. "The landscape is really amazing here. It's really different from Austria. The terrain is different from Austria. But I really like shooting here and I have enjoyed my stay very much."
Despite his experience, Wiener is not sure if he will return to Canada to compete because of its travelling distance to his home country, but he looks forward to compete in World Championships that are close to home — like the next World Archery 3D Championships that are scheduled to be held in Terni, Italy in 2021.
