Steve Gill: Road to Rio

Blesma Member Steve Gill is hoping to be selected for Great Britain’s archery team at the Paralympic Games in Rio later this year. We catch up with him on his progress....

I used to play wheelchair basketball and thought archery was boring when I first tried it about 15 years ago. Then, a few years back, I was at a basketball session and people were trying archery in the next hall. I thought I’d give it another go, and banged a few good shots in! 

I lost both my legs and an eye in a terrorist bomb attack while I was stationed in Belfast in May 1989. At the time, I was a 19-year-old Private serving with 2nd Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment (The Poachers)

The pressure is building for the Rio Olympics but I’m injured at the moment.  I fell out of bed, would you believe, and landed on my ribs, which means I can’t take part in the European Championships in April.  I really wanted to compete there but it shouldn’t affect my chances of going to Rio, though.  I’ve only been shooting for two-and- a-half years. I’m up against two guys who have been doing it for 20 years, but I’m not that far behind them!  We won’t know who has made the team until the end of April.

I train either five or six days a week. It is a massive commitment and every aspect of my training is planned meticulously. It’s like a full-time job.  It’s a 70-mile round trip to my training centre in Donington, and I also train at the National Sports Centre at Lilleshall two days a week, so I don’t see the kids as much as I’d like.

Archery is about mind and body working together. If you don’t have a clear mind, it doesn’t matter how well set up you are, you can easily mess up. Hover over the Gold and, if you are lined up, mind and body together, chances are it will go in the middle. If you squint and tense up, your arrows will be all over the place. There is a lot of mind work involved, and the coaches have us doing all sorts of weird and wonderful things. There are four distinct phases in taking every single shot, and you have to break each one down and have different thoughts leading up to the moment you shoot.

Having been in the Army, shooting is second nature. Anyone who thinks archery is easy should give it a try. When I’m practising for a competition, I shoot as many as 260 arrows a day.

I couldn’t do this without Blesma, their support has been fantastic. They help fund my training and travel. Their help is second to none. I was a Blesma Welfare Rep for many years and have done loads of events with the Association. Blesma has been a great part of my rehabilitation. It’s brilliant for getting like-minded people together.