Archery siblings Eleanor and Louisa Piper want to spur each other on all the way to Tokyo. 

Eleanor, 21, and Louisa, 17, are two of the country’s most promising young archers, honing their skills on the archery fields of Woking before breaking into the national set-up at Lilleshall.

Four years separate the Pyrford shooting duo but they joined forces to devastating effect at the Patras 2018 European Youth Championships, where they fired their way to a team silver medal in the Under-21s division in Greece.

That archery prowess is supplemented by their academic ventures, with Eleanor recently graduating with First Class Honours in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Birmingham, and Louisa now vying to follow in her footsteps with a degree in Aerospace Engineering.

But it’s arrows, not astronomy, that keep the pair motivated, and they believe their influence on each other has been pivotal in their rise.

Bournemouth Echo: Louisa celebrated with Eleanor and she triumphed in the Under-21 Field Archery Championships in Slovenia last yearLouisa celebrated with Eleanor and she triumphed in the Under-21 Field Archery Championships in Slovenia last year

“Eleanor and I both have similar natures and are competitive when we shoot against each other,” said Louisa, currently supported through the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) which is managed by SportsAid.

“But at the same time we push each other forwards - if one of us is doing better than the other it makes the other want to work harder! I think that’s what has made us reach these levels - we’ve both always tried to beat each other, over and over again, growing up!"

Eleanor, a beneficiary of SportsAid support over several years, added: “We’re really supportive of each other but with that competitive element, and have always encouraged each other as we made our way up the archery ladder.

“There’s a lot of discussion about archery in our house! Both of us are quite competitive but we’re really good sisters and both want to achieve as much as we can together.”

Eleanor and Louisa soon scaled those dizzy Greece heights together, with Eleanor winning GB senior team silver at the Berlin 2018 Archery World Cup - Britain’s maiden women's team medal for 11 years - and Louisa being crowned European Under-21s field archery champion in Slovenia last year.

Arrows, bows and targets have been accompanied by calculators, test tubes and stationary, however, with both siblings amongst the highest achievers at their local Guildford High School.

Eleanor completed A-Levels in Chemistry, Physics and Maths, while Louisa is about to head into Year 13 as she studies Maths, Physics and Biology - and a GCSE in Astronomy.

Balancing sport and education has been far from easy but both siblings know how helpful their school, university and - for Eleanor - a certain Peugeot 107 have been.

“I was able to balance both my archery and degree as I invested in a tiny little car - a Peugeot 107 - to drive to Lilleshall!” Eleanor said.

“The university were amazing as they always came up with solutions for me, which was really useful.

Louisa added: “Guildford High School have been really supportive of both my academic and archery ventures.

“You have to make sure you have priorities, and for both Eleanor and I it is education, as without that, you can’t access the jobs needed to help fund you in the sport long-term."

Bournemouth Echo: Eleanor and Louisa are targeting Olympic and Commonwealth Games glory together as they embark on their respective archery journeys Eleanor and Louisa are targeting Olympic and Commonwealth Games glory together as they embark on their respective archery journeys

Archery was one of the first sports allowed to return as the lockdown was eased. Eleanor has been able to access the elite archery facility at Lilleshall whilst Louisa had her first session in over four months with her coach, Richard Priestman, after he travelled down to train with her and other members of the Olympic squad in Woking.

Archery GB have secured their full qualification quota - three men, three women - in Japan and Eleanor and Louisa know just how much it would mean to represent their country on the world stage.

“When we were asked to draw what our ultimate goal looked like at our regional academy, Louisa and I both drew ourselves on the Olympic podium,” Eleanor said.

Louisa added: “It would be amazing to fly the British flag at an Olympics with my sister - after all the work, dedication and sacrifice that has gone in it would be absolutely amazing, and the stuff of dreams."

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