By Despina Karpathiou
NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) athlete Peter Boukouvalas is set to make his Olympic debut in archery at Paris’ famed Esplanade des Invalides in a few days.
The 25-year-old has been selected for the men’s individual event and will be joined by 22-year-old Laura Paeglis who will compete in the women’s individual.
Peter was first introduced to the sport whilst watching the Australian Team at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games with his grandparents, however, he didn’t pick up the crossbow until his final year at school in 2016.
“In 2016, I was finally able to buy my first bow and try archery at Sydney Olympic Park Archery Centre where I met my first coach Alex King and proceeded to join the club shortly after. Since then, I have been training to represent Australia at the Olympic Games and have made many national teams including this year’s world championship team,” Peter explained.
“Archery has enabled me to do many things, including travel overseas for the first time and see many new countries that I had never been to or even thought I’d get a chance to, and I am grateful that I get to continue to travel and represent my country at the highest level in the sport I love.”
From Georges Hall in Greater Sydney, Peter made his national team debut in 2018 and competed at his first senior World Championships in 2023 in Berlin, Germany where he finished 33rd.
Bows and arrows aside, Peter is a Sydney Trains customer service attendant who is aiming to further his career by becoming a station duty manager when he returns home from Paris.
The Greek Herald managed to speak to Peter in between training about all things Olympics.
Congratulations Peter! How does it feel to be representing Australia at the Olympic Games?
Thank you, it’s a very surreal experience and I’m super proud and excited to make my first Olympic team for the Paris games.
What would you say got you to where you are now?
Sticking to my regular routine, consistent practice and lots of international tournaments! Practice makes perfect.
Who is someone who inspires you?
An athlete I look up to and am inspired by is Jess Fox.
Who would you say is your biggest supporter?
My mum is my biggest supporter, she supported me from day one and has always been there for me.
What would you like to achieve at these Olympic Games? Do you have any goals?
Of course, I would like to walk away from these games with a medal, but more importantly I want to be able to walk away being able to say I did my best on the day.
What would your advice be for your fellow athletes who didn’t make Paris 2024?
This isn’t the end of the road. Keep training and working to be the best athlete you can be. Your time will come.
What would you say to those who are aspiring to be where you are?
To kids and young people that are looking at the Olympics, dream big. You never know where it will take you.
Peter’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peterboukouvalas/
Where to watch Archery? Thursday, July 25th is the Men’s Individual Round starting at 2:15pm. Channel Nine will broadcast the Games free to air, with coverage spread across its main channel and 9Gem. 9Now will stream every moment of every event across more than 40 dedicated channels.
