Lyon roars his way to Pan Am Games

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This article was published 28/09/2011 (5365 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jay Lyon is firing on all cylinders — and it couldn’t have happened at a better time.

The 25-year-old archer from Westwood had a breakthrough performance at this year’s world championships, and is planning to ride that momentum all the way to the podium at next year’s London Olympics.

But before he starts planning his visit to Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, Lyon has his sight set on next month’s Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

“I was at the (Pan Am Games) in 2007, and it was excellent preparation for the (2008 Beijing) Olympics,” Lyon said. “It’s pretty exciting, and it’s pretty much one of the last big events before the Olympics.”

In 2007, Lyon finished fourth in the individual event and was part of Canada’s silver medal-winning men’s team. A year later, he finished 10th individually and eighth in the team event at the Beijing Games.
When he gets to Mexico, Lyon’s goal will be clear.

“It’s the same goal as every event, which is two golds,” said the Westwood Collegiate grad.

When Lyon visualizes standing atop the podium as O Canada echoes through the stadium, he has reason to be confident.

At this year’s world championships — an event with a deeper field than even the Olympics — he set a Canadian record during the ranking round and went on to place fifth in match play, the highest finish ever by a Canadian.

Lyon believes his improved results are a result of more experience — both in life and in his sport.

“It’s a sport that really has a lot of focus required,” he said. “You need a strong mental game. I deal with it daily. You can always apply some kind of psychology to put yourself in a more positive mindset.”

Living and training in Winnipeg isn’t the easiest way to become a championship archer. Not only are the majority of the top events held overseas, but the rest of the elite Canadians in his recurve bow category are either in B.C. or on the East Coast.

“It would be nice to train together, but I don’t have that luxury,” Lyon said.

Lyon’s new coach, former Olympic gold medallist Jay Barrs, is based in the U.S.

“He gets it,” Barrs said of Lyon. “He gets what it’s all about. He has a really good outlook, a lot of talent, and his potential is, I think, pretty much as he wants it to be.”

Barrs isn’t putting too much emphasis on Lyon’s placing in Mexico. He’s more interested in the process.

“You’re always trying to win (every tournament),” Barrs said. “But nothing really matters until the Olympic Games. This is just one of those steps along the way.”

Even if he does return from Mexico with two gold medals — along with a sombrero and a couple bottles of tequila — Lyon won’t be guaranteed a return trip to the Olympics. He’ll need to qualify at the Canadian trials before he gets his shot on the sporting world’s biggest stage.

“The world championships were the greatest performance I’ve ever had,” he said. “And the calibre of the archers there is the best, but the Olympics is my ultimate goal. Just look at all the hype.”

Twitter: @avisaper

avi.saper@canstarnews.com