Archer Yvon Laforgue finished 12th in the U21 men’s recurve division at the World Field Archery Championships in South Dakota after falling just short of a quarterfinal berth, ladepeche.fr reported.
Laforgue Enters Knockout Phase After Qualification Rounds
The world championships ran from September 22 to 27 under cold and rainy conditions. The opening two days featured standard qualification rounds. Competitors shot across 24 targets at unknown distances on the first day, followed by another 24 targets at known distances on the second day, placing the archer from Boé in 12th position.
On the third day, Laforgue entered the knockout phase against Italy’s Jacopo Azzoni, who had qualified fifth. The elimination format tested athletes over a six-target course using three arrows per target. Laforgue held a one-point lead heading into the penultimate target before Azzoni shot a perfect score on the final station to advance and eventually claim the world title.
First International Selection for Archers de Boé
The result marked Laforgue’s debut international appearance in the French national team uniform. Jean-Marie Tovo, president of the Archers de Boé club, noted that in the 44-year history of the organization, Laforgue is the first club-trained archer to compete for France.
“The atmosphere reigning within the French team was very nice,” Laforgue said, recalling encounters with local wildlife along the Yankton course. “I liked seeing the hares, roe deer, turkeys, and wild boars on the course.”
Training Pâtisserie and Looking to 2027
Laforgue divides his schedule between a pastry-making apprenticeship and a rigorous training regimen, aiming to complete up to five weekly sessions on the range. Backed by his mother, Céline Pichayrou-Laforgue, an accomplished archer herself, he has already targeted his next major international objective.
“When you have tasted the French team, you only have one desire, and that is to wear the tricolor tunic again,” Laforgue said. He plans to pursue qualification for the European Championships scheduled for Slovenia in October 2027.
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