(Paris) Eric Peters went from 64e to fifth place in the world recurve archery rankings in just over a year.
But the 27-year-old archer from Kitchener, Ont. — who won a silver medal at the world championships last year — won’t be on the podium at the Paris Olympics.
Peters was beaten 6-2 by Italy’s Mauro Nespoli on Sunday in the men’s individual elimination round.
Nespoli, 36, won individual silver at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and was a member of the Italian teams that won gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics and silver at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
On Sunday, Nespoli won the first set 28-23, then tied the second (30-30) and third (28-28) sets, before winning the fourth 29-26 to emerge victorious from the clash.
“This is the biggest crowd archery has ever seen,” Peters said before facing Nespoli. “It’s unbelievable. It’s not something we experience very often in the sport, and just to have this atmosphere, it’s something else.”
In July 2023, Peters travelled to Berlin and posted Canada’s best ever result at the World Archery Championships, placing second. His silver medal also secured Team Canada an Olympic qualification spot for Paris.