If he increases arrow volume one week, recovery sessions increase accordingly. Desemery is careful not to overdo it, having learned that lesson in November when a “purple patch” in scoring led him to push too far.
After shooting a 596 personal best in training this season, and now back living in France after more than 20 years in Canada, returning to Nimes for another attempt felt like the logical next step – a decision emphatically vindicated.
His performance has now earned him selection to represent France at the European Indoor Archery Championships in Plovdiv next month.
Desemery will be France’s sole recurve men’s representative in Bulgaria, joining Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Lisa Barbelin in the squad.
“It’s a childhood dream,” he said. “The key thing was that I had a plan. From packing my bow to travelling, warm-up, arrow count, meals – everything.”
“At competitions like this, there are so many distractions. Without a plan, it’s easy to get lost. Plans can change, and you have to accept that. That helped a lot because there was no guessing.”
“Was it a surprise? Yes – but it was planned and prepared.”
Learning to manage mental fatigue is the next challenge the Parisian must be ready for in Plovdiv.
It is what cost him most in Nimes, dealing with pressure against Wieser, then the “emotionally draining” encounter against Ellison, and the difficulty of the shoot-off versus D’Amour, which left Desemery “running on fumes” by the time he met Wei and D’Almeida.
