Wills philosophical in defeat

Posted: Friday 15th August 2008 | 9:18

ARCHER Alan Wills' Olympics ended in elimination and self-examination after he lost a match he believes he would have won had his head been right.

Having produced heroics to knock out Italians Marco Galiazzo - the defending Olympic champion - and Mauro Nespoli, Peterlee-born Wills had every reason to be confident as he faced Juan Carlos Stevens of Cuba in a quarter-final eliminator in Beijing.

But Stevens produced a run of tens in the second half of the 12-arrow contest and the 27-year-old carpenter and joiner could not fix the hole in which he found himself.

After going down 108-104 - Wills vowed to look long and hard at his approach to competing.

"I wasn't at my best at all," he said. "There was no fight. I was a little bit subdued and that's not how I shoot.

"I shoot with passion and aggression and here I was too relaxed. I didn't feel as determined as I did against Marco and if I'm relaxed my personality is squashed down. I'm the sort of person who needs to compete aggressively.

"Past experiences have taught me how to prepare myself but sometimes you need some outside help and a bit of a kick up the backside.

"After the first two rounds here I felt deep down I could go all the way and win it, and that nothing could stop me - it was just me that I had to get past.

"The thought of winning a medal here is something that's always in your mind. You can't block it out, so you have to accept it.

"I'd done everything right in preparing technically and physically, but mentally maybe not."

A Games that promised so much has left Wills searching for answers before he makes his mind up about whether to try again when the Olympics comes to London. As Wills knows all too well, years of preparation can swiftly go down the drain.

"Next year it's the World Games, which I was second in last time, but I've got a big decision to make about 2012. I want to do it but it depends on everything else in my life.

"I'll go back to work for a few months then review things.

"It's been such a long, drawn-out period waiting for this and then it's all over in about 10 minutes. When all that preparation is for 10 minutes you have to get it right and it was just one of those days
for me. I'm gutted."

JAMES TONEY in Beijing