Folkard has to aim for top spot to get World Championship berth

GB selection policy now requires the second and third places to go to funded archers, meaning Folkard has to win the two-legged selection shoots to qualify for the championships.

And, after the first leg at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre last weekend, Folkard remained buoyant.

She said: “I am shooting well at the moment and think that I have a good chance of earning a place in the team for the World Champs.”

Folkard’s fine run of form has been rewarded with a place in Great Britain’s four-strong field archery team for the World Games in Colombia, which start on July 25.

The 29-year-old won gold in the team event and individual bronze at the World Field Championships in the French Alps last year and bronze in the World Games in 2009 and is hopeful of adding to her tally in South America.

“I am really excited about this,” said Folkard.

“I greatly enjoy field archery and think Colombia may provide a really challenging field course.”

Folkard is currently in Istanbul as part of an eight-strong recurve team representing Europe against Asia’s best for the new Istanbul Conquest Cup.

The invitation came at the behest of World Archery and sees Folkard line up alongside Begul Lokluoglu (Turkey), Natalia Erdnynieva (Russia), Christine Bjerendal (Sweden), Fatih Bozdar (Turkey), Marco Galiazzo (Italy), Rick van der Berg (Netherlands) and Gael Prevost (France).

The tournament marks the reopening of Istanbul’s historic archery field, the Okmeydani, which was established in 1453 by Mehmet II after the siege of Constantinople.

“I feel very honoured to be taking part in this historic event,” she said.