Shooting 10 arrows in 60 seconds sounds easy but town-crier Joseph McGrail-Bateup proved its complexity by landing himself in the list of Guinness world records.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
McGrail-Bateup successfully shot 10 arrows into a target 18 metres away in 59.84 seconds to break a Guinness world record at Tuggeranong Archery Club on Sunday.
The record was previously held by Briton Hamish Murray, who completed the task in 60.5 seconds in September, 2015.
McGrail-Bateup, who spent three months training for the record attempt, missed the 10th arrow but the 11th struck the target with 0.24 seconds remaining.
"It was absolutely amazing. When they said I broke it in front of everyone, we had concerns whether all arrows were in the target, that's when it came to eyes," McGrail-Bateup said.
"Had I not missed the 10th arrow, I would have beaten it by about five seconds.
"It wasn't a good feeling [when I missed it] and heard it had been 50 seconds before shooting the final arrow. I thought 'I need to get this one' and when the time was confirmed I thought 'oh my God'.
"There's two timekeepers and they take the average between them and it came down to 59.84 seconds."
MORE CANBERRA SPORT
His early victories sparked a desire to put his talents to the test and looked to the Guinness Book of World Records for inspiration.
"There are some other records I might get the whole club involved with like a marathon," McGrail-Bateup said.
"It's a mixture of self-satisfaction but I also think it's good for archery, to see people doing things which are a little bit different and getting others interested in archery."
It will take three months for the record to be gratified as officials review the video footage and statements made by the present judges.
Lucie Bertoldo
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
