In February 2026 I drew a recurve bow for the first time. The arrow didn't hit the gold. It didn't hit the target. It didn't hit the bale. And standing there, slightly embarrassed, watching a volunteer fetch my arrow from the grass, I felt something I hadn't felt in years: I couldn't wait to do it again.
By June, archery was my full-time job. No sponsors, no medals, no ranking. Just a decision.
The math everyone warned me about ///
Let's be honest about what "going full-time" means when nobody is paying you yet. It means range fees, arrows, coaching and competition travel all flow out and nothing flows in. Everyone I told did the same arithmetic out loud, as if I hadn't done it myself a hundred times at 2 a.m.
But there's a second equation they weren't running. Brisbane 2032 is six years away. Olympic recurve is a volume sport — the gap between me and the archers I need to beat is measured in arrows shot, and arrows take hours, and hours are exactly what a day job eats. Part-time archery meant arriving at 2032 with half the arrows. The safe path wasn't safer for the goal. It was fatal to it.
The safe path wasn't safer for the goal. It was fatal to it.
What full-time actually looks like ///
It's less romantic than the phrase sounds. My day is embarrassingly repetitive on purpose:
- On the line at sunrise. Hundreds of arrows before most people's first meeting.
- Strength and conditioning — a 70m Olympic round is an endurance event wearing a precision costume.
- Video review, shot by shot. The camera doesn't flatter and doesn't lie.
- Breath work, because the last thing standing between you and the gold is your own heartbeat.
Six days a week. The seventh day I rest, badly, thinking about arrows.
Why I'm writing this down ///
This logbook exists because the part of an athlete's story that everyone skips is the part I'm living right now — the years before anything works. When the podium finally happens, I want the receipts: every training block, every competition, every setback, documented while it was still uncertain.
If you're a brand, this is the ground floor — here's how to get in early. If you're anyone else, you can put arrows downrange too, and I'll show you exactly what your support paid for.
First arrow missed the grass bale. Next stop, Brisbane.
— Niel Lat · @nock_niel · Full Draw. Full Time.