Jeff Fabry Wins Bronze Medal
Athens, Greece (USOC)- The United States’ Jeff Fabry (Tulare, Calif.) won the archery bronze medal in the Men’s Individual W1 division. Fabry beat Zdenek Sebek (CZE) with a score of 108 to 96 to clinch is medal.
In the semifinal round, Fabry lost to the eventual gold medallist John Cavanagh (GBR). At the end of regulation Fabry and Cavanagh were tied sending them into a sudden death shoot-off. Fabry hit a six while Cavanagh hit a nine.
“This is a game where you have to focus on each shot,” says coach Glen Harris (Langley, Wash.). “One can take you out of the game and that’s what happened to Jeff. We don’t know why but he missed a shot at the wrong time.”
“The semis were a little rough,” states Fabry. “I had a couple of flyers. It is different when you get to one-on-one competition. There is a lot going on and you know you have to win that match. It is a little more pressure.”
After losing in the semifinals to Cavanagh, Fabry faced Sebek for the bronze. “I was pretty upset after loosing and really focused that energy on the bronze,” explains Fabry. The American out shot or tied his opponent on each arrow to bring his final score to 108 and Sebek’s to 96.
This medal ends the Paralympic medal drought. The team is also looking to add another medal to that collection during the team competition.
“I am extremely proud of Jeff and all my archers,” boasts Harris. “This is the most talented team we have had in a long time. They have performed admirable and other countries are saying to watch out for us.”
Fabry will shoot in the men’s team competition on Sunday with Aaron Cross (St. Cloud, Minn.) and Kevin Stone (Adrian, Mich.).
Results:
Semifinal
1. Cavanagh, John (GBR), 108 T9
2. Fabry, Jeff (Tulare, Calif.), 108, T6
Bronze Medal Match
1. Fabry, Jeff (USA), 108
2. Sebek, Zedenek (CZE), 9
posted September 30, 2004
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