Bryony Pitman believes Team GB can still contend for archery honours despite a tricky start to Paris 2024. 

Pitman made her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 and her second Games began with the customary women’s ranking round, which sees all 64 archers shoot 72 arrows each on the same field, with total scores producing seedings for individual and team competition.

The 27-year-old shot a total of 646 to finish in 41st place, with teenage colleagues Megan Havers and Penny Healey placing 49th and 52nd respectively. 

It means Great Britain are seeded 11th for the women’s team competition, where they will face Germany in the opening round on Sunday. 

“At this level, there are 64 of us and there are 64 people that can win, that can do well,” said Pitman.

“I'm just going to go into the matches as positive as I can and do the best that I can, fire the best shots. Hopefully, it will be enough to win a medal. 

“The same in the team round, we're going to just focus on our game, perform the best we can and see if it's good enough on the day.”

Against a stunning backdrop of Les Invalides, a complex which contains Napoleon’s tomb, the ranking round world record fell at the hands of Korean Lim Sihyeon, who shot 694 to surpass compatriot Kang Chae Young’s previous mark of 692 set in 2019.

Powerhouse Korea have won all nine Olympic titles in the women's team since the sport’s inclusion at Seoul 1988. Their success is thanks to world-leading facilities and a professional infrastructure that is the envy of the world - including Pitman.

“I don’t think anyone would really expect anything less (than a world record),” said Pitman. 

“The money that they put into it is just unlike any other country. They have professional teams.

"I think the last few months, they've had a replica Paris stage set up and they’ve been shooting against a robot that just puts them in the tens all the time. 

“They are as prepared as you could possibly be for an Olympic Games.”

Pitman’s support network will include ALDI, who have been the Official Supermarket of Team GB since 2015. Already one of Team GB’s longest-serving partners, this partnership has now been extended to 17 years until 2032, reaffirming Aldi’s multi-million-pound investment in both Team GB and its athletes.

Pitman is the only returning Olympian in the British women’s squad with 19-year-old Healey and 16-year-old Havers leaning on her heavily for words of wisdom.

“Bryony has given me and Penny a lot of advice with training, leading up to the Games, scoring more 720s, doing more competitive games,” said Havers. “That definitely helped us.

“She’s also given us the advice of not to think about the Olympics too much. When you’re here, soak it all in, do everything you can do. But don’t actively think every day, ‘oh my god, I’m at the Olympics’ because that makes it a bit more surreal. 

“She definitely helps us. Even during competition, she walks us up to the line, gives us advice and asks how we are. She’s a really big part of the team.”

Aldi are proud Official Partners of Team GB & ParalympicsGB, supporting all athletes through to Paris 2024