French archer Jean Philippe Boulch won his second consecutive title at the Nimes Archery Tournament, which took place over three days from January 21-23, 2022. The tournament was the first in a two-part series that comprises the 2022 Indoor Archery World Series.
France’s impressive left-handed archer JP Boulch competed in the Men’s Compound category and ended up in an all-French final with Nicolas Girard, beating his fellow Frenchman by just two points with a finishing score of 147-145.
The 30-year-old Boulch has previously taken one gold, one silver and three bronze medals at World Cup Stages, as well as a bronze in the World Championships, with success in both team and individual events. He has also taken home one gold, one silver and one bronze in team events at the European Outdoor Championships in both 2016 and 2018.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the tournament was not open to spectators. However, this year’s tournament was attended by more than 700 competitors, many of whom were watching as Boulch took the win. It was no doubt a contrast to Boulch’s win last year, when attendance at the venue had to be restricted to around 100 world-class participants due to safety concerns.
The Boulch-Girard final was one of two all-French finals seen over the course of the weekend, with European Champion Lisa Barbelin and under-18 world champion Caroline Lopez also going up against each other on their home soil in the women’s recurve category. Their match was a close one and was ultimately sent to a shoot-off, where Barbelin finally took the gold.
The medalists in Nimes have secured elite ranking points towards qualification for the Indoor Archery World Series Finals, which will take place in Las Vegas between February 3-6, 2022.
