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Last Updated on 02/09/2024 by Crip Life
British archer Victoria Kingstone, who won mixed team bronze at the 2023 European Para Championships, is set to compete at her first Paralympic Games in Paris this summer.
As part of our ParalympicsGB debutants interview series, our editor, Emma Purcell, speaks to Victoria Kingstone about living with spina bifida and osteoporosis, becoming an archery player and what she is most looking forward to at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
After discovering she had osteoporosis, Victoria stopped playing wheelchair basketball and decided to look for a new challenge.
She attended an archery taster day led by UK Sport in 2017 and never looked back, going on to make her international debut the following year.
In 2023 at the European Para Championships, she won a mixed team bronze medal, where she secured qualification for her first Paralympics as an athlete in Paris.
The 42-year-old, who grew up in Kent but now lives in Surrey, was previously a Supporter Engagement Executive at Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People and was actively involved in supporting the London 2012 Paralympics. She is also a Global Athlete Mentor for The True Athlete Project.
Victoria will be joining three other British archers in Paris – Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Phoebe Paterson Pine, Rio 2016 silver medalist Jodie Grinham and World number two Nathan Macqueen.
Read on to find out more about Victoria Kingstone in her own words and scroll down to see her Paris 2024 results.
Victoria Kingstone on living with spina bifida and osteoporosis
What was it like growing up spina bifida?
I guess being born with a disability, you don’t know any different. I was fortunate that my parents let me do everything that my siblings did, even if ballet was an odd choice for a child with no balance.
How were you diagnosed with osteoporosis and how did it feel knowing you have the condition?
I had a spontaneous femur fracture after moving awkwardly. I naively thought they’d just pop me in plaster and I’d go home, but I now have a nice long rod in my leg. Ultimately it was this diagnosis that led me to para-archery so I can’t complain.
How does living with spina bifida and osteoporosis affect you on a daily basis?
I use a wheelchair all the time, but that just means I never need to find a seat or worry about where I put my phone or keys.
Victoria Kingstone on becoming an archery player
How did you get into archery and what has been the highlight of your archery career so far?
After being diagnosed with osteoporosis, I stopped playing wheelchair basketball but missed physical activity so needed to find a less physical sport. I attended a Paralympic sport talent ID day in 2017 and it went from there.
I am hoping that the highlight of my career will be competing at my first Paralympics!
How does Para archery differ from standard archery?
The thing I love about archery is how inclusive it is – in domestic competitions, para-archers shoot against able-bodied archers, and often win! The main difference is that in international competition there is a classification system so you compete against people with a similar level of impairment.
At what level did you play wheelchair basketball and were you ever close to being part of the GB squad at a previous Paralympic Games?
I like to think that I was the brains (and voice) of the team, mostly to make up for my lack of skill. I played in both the National League and Women’s League for around 15 years, but had more success as an official than as a player, officiating at London 2012 and multiple World Championships.
What was it like working as a Supporter Engagement Executive at Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation?
My role at Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation was a key part of the Fundraising Team. Initially processing donations, I progressed to running the supporter database. It was always a privilege to talk to donors about the difference their generosity made to people with disabilities.
Can you tell us more about your mentoring role for The True Athlete Project?
I have been involved with The True Athlete Project (TAP) for several years. As a mentor, I have worked with several youth athletes, supporting them on their journey to becoming the best athlete they can be while doing so in a holistic, compassionate way. Thanks to TAP, athletes are slowly realising that medals do not mean everything, it’s who you are as a person that really makes the difference.
Victoria Kingstone on preparing for Paris 2024
How does it feel to be selected for your first Paralympic Games?
It is somewhat terrifying, to be honest. There are very few jobs in the world where the thing you do, day in day out, suddenly has an audience of hundreds, if not thousands.
How have your preparations been going for Paris 2024?
Preparations are going well. We recently invited other European archers to our training centre for a camp, so it was great to get the competition vibe without the competition pressure. We’re now all just trying to stay safe, well and happy before boarding the train in a few weeks.
What are you looking forward to the most at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, as well as aiming to secure a medal?
Having been to London 2012 as an official, and Rio 2016 as a spectator, I can honestly say that nothing matches the thrill of a Paralympics. So as soon as I have finished competing, I definitely plan on watching as many sports as possible, especially those that get very little TV coverage.
My husband is working at the Games as a wheelchair basketball official so hopefully, I’ll get to share some memories with him too.
You can find out more about Victoria Kingstone by following her on Instagram.
Paris 2024 Paralympics: Archery results
Victoria Kingstone set a new international personal best as she ranked sixth in the Women’s WI ahead of Saturday’s head-to-head matches. She went on to face Brazil’s Juliana Cristina Ferreira da Silva who ranked 11th, beating her 128-77.
Speaking about her ranking, Victoria said: “I don’t know what to say. I’m really, really happy to get a new international PB on the biggest stage. You always want to keep to what you’ve been doing in training but to actually do better is a pleasant surprise. I love competing with the other women. We’re not opponents, we’re friends and everyone celebrates each other.
Unfortunately, she went on to lose in the Women’s W1 quarter-final to South Korea’s Okgeum Kim 128-122
Reacting to the match, Victoria said: “It’s really hard when you’re trading points and the third end where I had a couple of blues that really put me behind. But I’ve really enjoyed the experience and it’s always good to compete against people when it is that close.”
Despite the loss, Victoria is still impressed about making the quarter-finals: “I’m surprised more than anything. Everyone wants to go home with a medal but to come out here and putting everything we’ve done in training and in practice into an event is all you can ask for.”
She added: “I’m not sure that [being a Paralympian] sunk in yet. You spend so many years with the support of everyone around you, coaches, family and people who have bought lottery tickets to enable us to do the sport in the first place, it’s such a lot of work. This is really the culmination of all of that and hopefully, I’ve done everyone proud.”
The other ParalympicsGB xx results are:
- Jodie Grinham & Nathan MacQueen – Mixed team compound – Gold
- Jodie Grinham – Women’s Individual Compound – Bronze
- Phoebe Patterson Pine – Women’s Individual Compound – 4th
Be sure to catch up on Victoria Kingstone’s events and the rest of the ParalympicsGB archery squad at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on Channel 4.
What is Para archery?
The goal of archery is to shoot arrows accurately at a target with a diameter of 122cm marked with 10 concentric rings.
These rings increase in points value the smaller and the closer they get to the centre, so a hit in the outermost zone is worth one point while a hit in the centre, the ‘gold’, is worth 10 points.
At the Paralympic Games archers shoot at targets placed at a standard distance of 70m, the same distance as at the Olympic Games.
Each event includes a ranking round where each archer shoots 72 arrows (12 ends of six arrows each) before the archers enter the elimination rounds.
There are six archery competitions for individual competitors and three team events. Athletes, who use recurve or compound bows, compete in either the W1 or Open class.
In some events the top performers in the ranking round will receive a bye in the first elimination round, because of the number of entries.
For the team events, teams are ranked according to the combined scores from the ranking round before proceeding to the knock out stages.
The elimination rounds will be contested as head-to-head match play. In the event of a tie, an arrow-by-arrow shoot-off will be held, creating the possibility of a gold medal being decided by a single shot.
Check out another interview with Para archer John Stubbs.