Lots of stars for archery's return at Commonwealth Games

Around 125 athletes from 24 countries have registered to participate in the Commonwealth Games New Delhi 2010. Archery is making its return to these Games since its 1982 debut in Brisbane, Australia. The Delhi archery competition will take place at the Yamuna Sports Complex from 4-10 October 2010 with some of the finest archers in the world.

The Stars

A total of 10 athletes present in New Delhi have just competed in the Archery World Cup Final in Edinburgh on 18-19 September. This event regrouped the top archers of the world, including Jayanta Talukdar, Dola Banerjee and Deepika Kumari from India, Simon Terry, Alan Wills, Naomi Folkard, Nicky Hunt and Chris White from England as well as Ashley Wallace (Can) and Shaun Teasdale (Nzl). Hunt and Teasdale also won the last World Cup 2010 Stage in Shanghai at the beginning of September.

Three medallists from last year world championships have made the trip to New Delhi as well. Liam Grimwood (ENG) took silver in compound men at the 2009 Ulsan world championship, while Stephen Clifton (NZL) earned bronze. In Korea, the 18-year old Jorina Coetzee (RSA) also won silver in compound women.

Eight medallists from the 2007 Leipzig world championships will also compete at the Commonwealth Games. Wills beat Terry in the bronze final of Leipzig 2007, while the two friends teamed up with Laurence Godfrey to take the team silver. English star Alison Williamson and Folkard were part of the British team which won the recurve women team's bronze in 2007. The entire compound men's team of Australia-Clint Freeman, Patrick Coghlan, Robert Timms-was the runner-up at the world championships 2007.

Numerous athletes have also taken part in the Olympic Games and two of them have won medals. Terry won bronze both in individual and team at Barcelona 1992, while Wlliamson earned bronze in individual at Athens 2004.

Moreover the Paralympic gold medallist Danielle Brown has been named in England's archery squad for the Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi. The 22-year old will become the first Paralympian to represent England in an able-bodied event at the Games. She will compete in compound women together with Nicky Hunt and Nichola Simpson.

The Liam Grimwood, Chris White and Duncan Busby trio claimed bronze in compound men's team at the World Cup event in Antalya in June and will be in New Delhi even more ambitious.

Among the Scottish line-up is Simon Needham, who has major Games experience, having competed in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney as well as European and world championships for Great Britain. He will team up with Mark Forrester and James Laing in recurve men.

Emma Downie was the winner of the 2009 British Target Championships in recurve women and will shoot for Scotland in New Delhi. In compound, Angus Kyle Dods, Tim Keppie and Alastair Whittingham will shoot in the men's division. Claudine Jennings, Susan Maitland and Tracey McGowan will be their women's counterparts.

The recent Youth Olympians Vanessa Loh (SIN) and Mohammad Emdadul Haque Milon (BAN) will have to confirm the good impression they made in Singapore.

Ashley Wallace was second at the Edinburgh World Cup Final in the compound women's division. Doris Jones, junior world champion in 2006, and Camille Bouffard-Demers will be her teammates at the Commonwealth Games. On the recurve side for Canada Marie-Pier Beaudet competed in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. She won a silver medal in the team event at the 2007 Pan American Games. She will be in Delhi with Kateri Vrakking and Alana MacDougall.

Crispin Duenas will spearhead the recurve men's team of Canada. He is currently 11th in the world ranking. Jay Lyon also competed at the 2008 Olympic Games in the recurve bow division. They will team up with Hugh MacDonald.

Three-time Olympian Matthew Gray is probably Australia's best medal chance in the hotly-contested recurve men's event. Gray will compete alongside compatriots Taylor Worth and Mathew Masonwells. In recurve women the 38-year old Olympic veteran Deonne Bridger will take to the range with Dawn Nelson and 2008 Olympian Alexandra (Lexie) Feeney, daughter of Peter who coached the Indians for a brief period.

In compound women the Australians Cassie McCall, Fiona Hyde and Rebecca Darby will battle it out in India, buoyed by their recent World Cup bronze medal in Ogden as a team. McCall has been described by Archery Australia as a "revelation", having only taken up the sport two years ago.

Shaun Teasdale leads New Zealand compound team of three men and three women. Ranked 14th in the world at just 21 years of age and recent winner in Shanghai, Teasdale will be joined in the men's team by world championship bronze medallist Stephen Clifton and Tony Waddick. Selected in the team at just 19 years old, Stephanie Croskery will shoot together with Mandy McGregor and Anne Mitchell.

The South African compound men's team, victorious at the Antalya World Cup in June, is composed of Nico Benade, Seppie Cilliers and recent silver medallist in Shanghai Koos de Wet.

The 2008 Olympians Veronique Marrier d'Unienville (MRI) and Joseph Walter Muaausa (SAM) will try to take one more step at the international level.

Last but not least, the 2007 World Cup Final winner Dola Banerjee will lead the 12-member Indian archery powerhouse for the Commonwealth Games 2010. She will be joined by Laishram Bombayla Devi and Deepika Kumari, second at the Shanghai World Cup, in the recurve women's individual event.

The recurve men's team will comprise Jayanta Talukdar, third at the Edinburgh World Cup Final, Rahul Banerjee and Tarundeep Rai. India will also be represented in compound with Chinnraju Srither, Chittibomma Jignas and Ritul Cbatterjee on the men's side, and Jhano Hansdah, Gagandeep Kaur and Bheigyabati Chanu in women.

The Programme

The qualifications will be held on Monday 4 October 2010. The first rounds of eliminations will take place on 5-6 October. Compound team finals, recurve team finals, compound individual finals and recurve individual finals will be competed respectively from 7 to 10 October.

In Day Five all matches separate in India Gate