Little Falls paralympian earns gold at African archery champs held in Pretoria

The precision of desire is often matched with the accuracy of focused intent.

Therefore, turning tough circumstances into moments of triumph, Phil Coates Palgrave gives little consequence to physical limitations. The now 52-year-old lost his leg in 1994 after a chance encounter with a hippopotamus while working as a river guide on the Zambezi. Having never lost his sense of adventure, an ambition to do the extraordinary led him to bows and arrows and is now a continental champion and paralympian.

Phil recently competed in the 2022 African Archery Championships held in Pretoria in early November, winning gold in the Compound Men para section. This latest accomplishment is one of many along a journey that started in 2016. Looking for a new challenge, Phil was put in touch with renowned paralympian Shaun Anderson who has guided Phil like a well released arrow.

Phil’s first national championships were in 2017 and by 2019 had qualified for that year’s world championships. The Olympic games were now in sight but the global health panic put that on ice. That delay would prove disastrous as he would also miss an international qualifying event in Europe because of travel restrictions. With time ticking away and nerves fraying, the International Olympic Committee would grant Phil a wild card entry to represent his country at the Paralympics.

Nothing worth doing ever comes easy and his body would throw him another curve ball in the weeks before the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Appendicitis would be his final hurdle to overcome and even with the operation scar still healing, Phil boarded the plane to Japan to live every athlete’s dream. Admittedly not at his best, the Olympic spirit is about first and foremost competing.

Archery clubs are few and far between but Phil is blessed with a small strip of open field along side his house where he has erected his own practice range. This ability to practice whenever he needs and the calm in his personal 50 meter long temple allows him to find the head space that he can take into competition.

“Its all about that quiet time. That space is unbelievable. You pull the trigger then everything comes rushing back, including the stress and panic and fear,” laughed Phil, thinking back at those pressure moments.

Phil encourages anyone looking for a sport that hones skills, improves mental focus and throws in a work out too, to pick up a bow and arrow.

“It helps you focus in your daily life. The repetitive mechanics are meditative and peaceful, it is a good place to be,” said Phil, whose next big milestone on the road ahead is the World Archery Championships in the Czech Republic followed by the march to Paris 2024. Accepting whatever is thrown at him, a reflective Phil chuckles “Life just sends us in directions”.