Archery hits a Brazilian bulls-eye at Rio Olympics

Olympics

Skateboarding will be introduced at the next Summer Olympics in Tokyo. New disciplines are always vying for inclusion.

But one ancient pursuit is one of the oldest sports in the world.

CCTV America’s Stephen Gibbs reports.

At 18 years old, Marcus d’Almeida is already ranked 6th in the world. Since he was 14, Marcus d’Almeida has been on Brazil’s National archery team.

Much of his talent does seem natural. An unusual gift for the extreme levels of concentration this sport demands.

Getting this good also means practicing around 300 to 400 shots, a day.

Soon after Marcus’ talent was recognized, his family moved to the city of Marica where Brazil’s Archery Confederation is based, to support him.

The young Olympian’s hope is that the Rio Olympics, and his participation, will bring more attention to this ancient sport.

“It was a sport that had been almost forgotten, no one knew much about it, and no one talked about it. It was called ‘bow and arrow’, not ‘archery’. My hope is that it is never forgotten again,” d’Almeida said.