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By Daniel Thomas
Looking back at the Beijing Olympics, one sport that failed to capture the excitement of the British public (unlike our cyclists or sailors) was archery.
Hardly a surprise considering the Republic of Korea took both team gold medals, three individual medals and set five Olympic and one world record.
The aim of the British archery team is to alter this trend. One member of this band of merry men is Bournemouth University's PhD student Andrew Callaway.
 Twenty-four year old Andrew has been shooting since his parents drove past a field of competing archers fourteen years ago.
“I immediately wanted to give it a go, and it turned out my dad always had too.”
“Some evenings he wouldn’t eat until nine because as soon as he got in from work he’d be greeted by me sat next to the front door with my bow ready to go and shoot.”
Within a year Andrew was playing in tournaments, and his passion for archery didn’t let up.
After completing his A-Levels he moved from Cornwall to study Computing Electronics in Bournemouth, and continued the same strict training regime.
Shooting five or six times a week, and training at the gym three or four times a week, Andrew has represented the junior and senior British teams and competed in tournaments across the world.
After finishing 9th in the Beijing Olympic shoot-offs and ultimately missing his chance to appear in the finals, attention has turned to London 2012.
“My aim in archery is the same as any sportsmen, to win Olympic gold. The target was Beijing, but I  won’t be thinking about the past now.”
“I’m excited about 2012, and can’t wait for it to get here.”
A positive attitude for someone who will have to wait four years for another shot at his dream, yet hardly surprising as he states cycling and sporting legend Lance Armstrong as his idol.
“The pure physical feat the man has been through proved to the world you can achieve what you want no matter what stands in your way.”
“On rainy mornings, or when I’m feeling a bit under the weather, I just think ‘well Lance did it, he got off his arse’ and I get on with it.”
“I’m never going to make millions of pounds in archery, it’d be nice, but that’s not why I do it.”
“I love the sport, the people I’m with and the places I get to see.”
“After Lord of the Rings was released, there was something crazy like a 45% increase in people coming into archery, that’s the only way for a sport like ours to attract more public interest.”
“In China it is looked upon in a ‘Zen’ and ‘The Art Of’ way, much like in America with Scholarships – if we were to view sports in the same light we would be right up there with the best in the world.”
“That’s what some members of the team including myself want to achieve - and winning gold in London in 2012 would definitely do it.”
Twenty-four hour access to archery facilities is available at Chapel Gate Sports Centre. Lessons also available for all experience levels.
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