Kyle Tremblay, a first-time Paralympian, faced the world’s top-ranked archer, Rakesh Kumar from India, in the men’s compound open quarter-finals of the Para archery event at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Tremblay narrowly missed advancing after a tense shoot-off.
“I shot my best. I shot hard. I got a 10 on my final shoot-off arrow. Those last arrows sometimes come down to luck and skill, and today just wasn’t my day,” Tremblay expressed after his competition.
The match began intensely, with both archers scoring 29 points in the first end. Tremblay managed slight leads in the next two ends, scoring 29 to Kumar’s 28 and then 30 to Kumar’s 29. However, in the fourth end, Kumar caught up, achieving 30 points while Tremblay scored 27.
Reflecting on his performance, Tremblay noted, “I had one end with three nines; if I had just hit one 10, I could have avoided a tiebreaker.”
Entering the fifth end with only one point between them, the competition remained tight. Kumar outscored Tremblay by just a point in that end, tying the match at 144 and necessitating a shoot-off.
During the shoot-off, both archers hit the 10 circle. However, an exact measurement was needed to resolve the tie. Tremblay’s arrow landed 29.5mm from the center bulls-eye, while Kumar’s was just 3mm away from the center, allowing Kumar to move on to the semifinals.
“It will take some time to process this, but I really hoped to reach the next round and compete for a medal,” Tremblay said about the outcome.
Before the Paris Games, Tremblay was ranked 12th in the world, making his competitive performance against the top-ranked archer notable. As this was his debut at the Paralympics, his success hints at future achievements in upcoming competitions.
“This is my first Paralympics, and just being here was special,” he added. “Having my coach Linda alongside me made it even more meaningful. This experience has motivated me for Los Angeles, and I’ll keep training to ensure a better performance in 2028.”