West Lothian archer on top of the world after double European gold and no.1 ranking

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Addiewell archery ace Nathan Macqueen is on top of the world after securing double European gold – and the world number one spot.The 32-year-old was unstoppable at the European Para Archery Championship in Rotterdam as he bagged himself gold in the individual men’s open compound and mixed team compound – alongside team-mate Phoebe Paterson Pine.And if becoming a double European champion wasn’t a good enough weekend, the two-time Paralympian bagged himself the world number one spot in the rankings for the first time in his career.It comes just weeks after picking up a silver medal at the World Para Archery Championship, losing to Mateo Bonacini in the final, but his strong showing in the Netherlands saw him climb above the Italian in the world rankings.It’s been quite a rise for Macqueen, who only took up the sport seriously eight years ago and, speaking to the Courier, he admitted it was a surreal moment realising he could call himself the best in the world.He said: “It wasn’t a bad tournament, was it?

I went into it knowing if I got a better result than Mateo I had a good chance of going to world number one and I was able to do that.

It’s a bit surreal. I had a tough year last year with illness and I got Covid just before the World Championships.“I only competed in one event and my world ranking dropped to 42nd so I’ve actually gone from there to first in just eight months.”He added: “I have been in good form this year and shooting really well but I’ve never truly had that belief in my ability.

At the Worlds when I got a silver I was asking myself if it was a fluke.“I think this has been a huge confidence boost as well because it’s proven to me that it wasn’t just luck or one good week at a tournament.”He added: “I had