{"id":29680,"date":"2025-06-15T11:53:57","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T01:53:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/archery.org.au\/?p=29680"},"modified":"2025-06-15T12:25:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-15T02:25:09","slug":"proving-age-is-just-a-number-feeney-returns-to-world-cup-circuit-after-12-year-absence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oldsite.archery.org.au\/zh\/slider\/proving-age-is-just-a-number-feeney-returns-to-world-cup-circuit-after-12-year-absence\/","title":{"rendered":"Proving age is just a number – Feeney returns to World Cup Circuit after 12 year absence"},"content":{"rendered":"

It wasn\u2019t nerves that struck Lexie Feeney as she stepped onto the shooting line in Shanghai<\/span> \u2014<\/span> it was something much quieter \u2014 familiarity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Twelve years after her last Archery World Cup, Feeney was back on the shooting line, drawing on memories not just of her 2008 Olympic debut, but of a longer, often quieter journey filled with pauses, persistence, and perspective.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t nervous,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI\u2019d shot in the stadium before, back in 2010. It just felt familiar<\/span> \u2014<\/span> like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since winning the Australian Open in 2022 and taking silver at the 2024 World Archery Field Championships, Feeney has been steadily charting her way back into international contention. But for her, Shanghai was a landmark: the first World Cup in over a decade, and one more step on a carefully built path toward LA 2028.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her comeback wasn’t sudden. It began during recovery from a foot injury in 2022<\/span> \u2014<\/span> an injury sustained not in archery, but in a community sport. While sidelined and wearing a moon boot, Feeney reached for her old equipment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had time. I had a stable job, flexibility, and for the first time in years, the resources to train seriously again. I didn\u2019t want to shoot socially<\/span>,<\/span> \u2014<\/span>I wanted to be better than I ever was before. Our sport is one where age, maturity work in our favour, not against us.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That clarity came after years of reflection. After the AIS residential program ended in 2010, Feeney stepped away from elite archery. Her bid for the 2013 World Championships fell short, and without the financial support needed to train at a national level, she made the hard call to stop competing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the years that followed, she explored other sports and lived a full life outside of the spotlight. Yet, the Olympic spark remained. Every four years, she watched the Games, wondering if she\u2019d one day wear the green and gold again.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, with World Championships ahead and Olympic qualification in her sights, Feeney is entering this chapter with intention. Not just aiming for results, but aiming to be part of a strong team, a sustainable program, and developing a mindset that thrives beyond any single tournament.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI already shoot higher qualification scores than I did when I was young. But I\u2019m playing the long game. This World Cup wasn\u2019t just about this event<\/span> \u2014<\/span> it\u2019s part of a plan leading to 2028 and 2032.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even in Shanghai, where conditions and outcomes tested her, there were affirmations. A perfect 60 to close qualification. Strong mixed team sets. Mental strategies that showed promise.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One quote has stayed with her: <\/span>\u201cNever confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.\u201d (F Scott Fitzgerald)<\/span><\/i>
\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just about getting everything right the first time,\u201d she adds. \u201cIt\u2019s about staying the course.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At 35, Feeney is no longer the teenager who stood on the line at the first Archery World Cup in 2006. The sport has changed\u2014mixed teams are standard, matches faster-paced, and competition deeper than ever. But she welcomes the shift.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be part of an Australian team that shows what we can do. I\u2019m excited not just to go back to the Olympics\u2014but to go with a full women\u2019s team.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And to young archers?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t need to pick just one path. You have <\/span>time<\/span>. This sport allows that.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Follow Lexie\u2019s progress and results on Instagram @lexiefeeney.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It wasn\u2019t nerves that struck Lexie Feeney as she stepped onto the shooting line in Shanghai \u2014 it was something much quieter \u2014 familiarity.\u00a0 Twelve\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":29682,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recurve-archery","category-slider"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.archery.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.archery.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.archery.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.archery.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.archery.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29680"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.archery.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29681,"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.archery.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29680\/revisions\/29681"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.archery.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.archery.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.archery.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.archery.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}