Fiona hits top spot in Scottish Ladies archery rankings

Fiona, a member of Links Archers in Montrose, ended the season in first place to improve on her third-placed finish the previous year.

Her coach and partner Malcolm Alexander also enjoyed a fantastic season, finishing second in the men’s rankings.

The duo have represented Scotland at national level on a number of occasions, with Fiona turning out at the Commonwealth Euronations Archery Championships and Malcolm competing in the British Championships.

Malcolm, ranked 34 in Great Britain, has also taken part in the selection shoot-off for the World Championships as well as being invited to compete in the UK Masters.

Fiona has also been invited to compete in the Masters, which is only open to those athletes ranked as Master or Grand Master Bowmen.

She was surprised to have done so well this year but said the success will spur her on to continue working hard.

Fiona said: “I knew I had done well this season and after only shooting for three years, becoming 19th in Britain was a huge surprise.

“It is always difficult juggling a full time job, practice time and the costs but it has spurred me on to work even harder for next year.”

They have both qualified for the 2015/16 Scotland squad, which includes attending a training camp in Cyprus in March.

Malcolm and Fiona also expect to represent their country at the British Indoor Championships in December, and have been invited to compete in the National Back-to-Back Championships.

Malcolm praised Fiona for her endeavour in getting into the sport.

He said: “Fiona is a brilliant example of what you can do when you put your mind to something. She had been taking her son Curtis to archery events for a number of years and one day decided to give it a go herself just so she could understand his needs a bit better and now she’s in the top 20 in the country.”

This story originally appeared in our sister publication the Montrose Review.