So much so, that mental burnouts were common entities for him, even as a junior, and he can barely remember the numerous tournaments he’s been in, his anger overwhelming his archery memories.
“I felt like I would fall apart during certain ends and I would just get in my head and get angry. I’d get angry about things, and it would just always make me worse,” Clayton explained.
“I always thought maybe being angry would make me focused, but it was never that. In previous years, I couldn’t even tell you what I was shooting, how I was feeling. I was so exhausted at the end of tournaments that I’d need hours to wind down.”
Clayton’s detailed reflections truly show just how vital and intricately delicate the depths of an archer’s mind can be in a sport often defined by millimetres.
His teenage years were dominated by archery, and the toll eventually prompted a three-year break from international competition during the COVID-19 pandemic – time he used to reclaim “missed opportunities” from childhood.
That break proved to be the reset he needed – the antidote to Clayton’s struggles. In 2023, he returned to the sport refreshed, and he’s only gained momentum since.
“It can get boring, especially at the high levels, shooting every day, doing the same thing repeatedly. So you have to find your own motivation, and I think that was the hardest part, just trying to find my own personal motivation without someone nagging me to shoot.”
