Peters, Chénier to represent Team Canada in archery at Paris 2024
Eric Peters and Virginie Chénier will represent Team Canada in archery at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, both making their Olympic debut for Canada.
Peters made Canadian history with his performance at the 2023 World Archery Championships. He won silver in the men’s individual recurve event after facing off with reigning Olympic champion Mete Gazoz in the final. It was Canada’s best-ever result in the men’s individual recurve at the world championships and the podium finish earned Team Canada an Olympic quota spot for Paris 2024.
More recently, the 27-year-old achieved a career-high world ranking of fifth on June 24, 2024 following his fifth-place finish at the Archery World Cup in Antalya, Türkiye. That matched his career-best result on the circuit, which he first achieved in April 2023, also in Antalya. Peters also reached the quarterfinals at the World Cup in August 2023 that served as the official Olympic test event for Paris 2024, placing seventh overall.
“It feels crazy, it’s a culmination of all the work and hardship I have been through over my career. While it is just one more step in my career, it’s an honour,” said Peters.
Peters has represented Canada at two editions of the Pan American Games. At Lima 2019, Peters was a double medallist as he won bronze in men’s individual recurve, after winning gold in men’s team recurve with teammates Crispin Duenas and Brian Maxwell. He also competed at Santiago 2023, where he and Chénier were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the mixed team event, placing sixth overall.
That was the third straight Pan American Games appearance for 29-year-old Chénier. She competed at her first senior-level multi-sport games at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games and was again a member of Team Canada at Lima 2019. She was Canada’s top-ranked athlete in women’s individual recurve at Santiago 2023, advancing to the quarterfinals after prevailing over Javiera Andrades of Chile in the round of 1/8 in a one-arrow shoot-off.
“I am super excited to be named to my first Olympic team,” said Chenier. “It has been hard work and perseverance for the last decade and I feel like all of it is finally paying off. I am looking forward to wearing the maple leaf proudly and being part of such an amazing team while giving my all out on the field of play.”
Chénier was part of an all-Canadian final with Kristine Esebua at the Pan American Continental Qualifier in April, which secured one Olympic women’s spot for Canada.
By qualifying an athlete of each gender, Canada will also compete in the mixed team event at Paris 2024. At the Pan American Championships that also took place in April, Chénier and Peters won bronze together, defeating Argentina with a dominant 6-0 victory.
Archery will take place July 25 to August 4 (Day -1 to 9) at the Les Invalides venue.
Team Canada Archery Athletes at Paris 2024:
Eric Peters (Kitchener, Ont.)
Virginie Chénier (Laval, Que.)