SEPTEMBER 13 - BRITAIN'S archers won two gold medals at the Paralympics in Beijing today thanks to John Stubbs and Danielle Brown (pictured).

 

The two victories at the Olympic Game Archery Field meant that Britain achieved its goal of winning 35 gold medals at these Games with three days of competition remaining.

 

A bronze for Mel Clarke also meant that the archery team have already exceeded the number of medals they won in Athens four years ago, when they topped the table for the sport with two golds.

 

Brown had won the battle of the Britons to win a place in the final at the expense of her team-mate this morning and out-shot Japan’s Chieko Kemiya in the four round final 112 to 98.

 

The 20-year-old Yorkshire woman added the Paralympic gold to her World Championship title hitting six maximum golds from 12 arrows to her opponent’s one.

 

The Aire Valley archer said: “I just went out there shooting.

 

“It is my first Paralympics and I really wanted to get the gold.

 

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet but I’m really happy.

 

"I had one dodgy arrow but otherwise it was a good match.”

 

Clarke, Brown’s predecessor as world champion, beat Su Guibin of Turkey to win bronze after losing to Brown by six points in the semi-final.

 

Clarke fired six 10s to beat Su 113-109.

 

She said: “I was gutted to go out in the first match.

 

"But to win bronze is a dream come true.

 

“It’s difficult when you play your teammate.

 

"There are three of us here out of eight so we knew we had to meet sometime.

 

"It’s just unfortunate we had to meet in the semi-final.”

 

Brown out-shot Clarke 113 to 107 in the four round semi-final, hitting six maximums to Clarke’s two.

 

Brown, a Leicester University law student, said: “We knew the chances of meeting each other were high.

 

"It was pretty tough knocking my teammate out but you just have to go out and shoot.”

 

The British archers were cheered on a large contingent of supporters.

 

Clarke said: “It was good to have the support of the crowd.

 

"To come to my first Games and get a medal is absolutely brilliant. It is worth every minute of hard work.”

 

They were followed by a near perfect performance from Stubbs as he won the individual compound open event, beating Italy's Alberto Simonelli 116-111.

 

Stubbs was in fine form, out-firing Swiss bowman Philippe Horner in the semi-final 114-109 before hitting eight maximum 10s and four nines from his 12 arrows in the final against the outclassed Italian.

 

The 43-year-old North Cheshire Bowman, competing at his first Paralympic Games, said: “I’m absolutely over the moon

 

“It’s something I’ve only ever dreamed about and now it’s reality.”

 

A world champion in this event in 2005, Stubbs first made his name playing cricket for England’s disabled team between 1995 and 1998.

 

He was fifth in the World Championships last year but has been on target throughout the tournament in Beijing, setting a 72-arrrow world record in the ranking rounds and a 12-arrow Paralympic record in his first knock out match.

 

Stubbs said: “I just wanted to shoot well and after that I wasn’t looking any further.

 

“I shot good arrows when it mattered most and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of it.”