“I ACTUALLY SHOT my brother with a toy bow on a holiday. I thought it was just so fun.”
Jessica Lloyd’s introduction to archery at age 11 may have been a bit of a lark, but her dedication to the sport since has been anything but.
After persistently asking her parents for archery lessons, Jessica enrolled at a local club on the Sunshine Coast, where she had the privilege of being under the tutelage of coach Lynette Rankin-Tyack and her son, Olympic medallist Ryan Tyack.
This significantly shaped her early development in the sport, and she has gone on to excel at a rate that makes it look like child’s play every time she picks up a bow.
Now aged 17, Jessica has been juggling her final years of high school at Pacific Lutheran College with national and international competitions – which is an achievement in itself.
Last year, she represented Australia at the Trans-Tasman Challenge and World Archery Oceania Target Championships in Adelaide, where she won three gold medals and four silver. She then travelled to Ireland to compete in the World Archery Youth Championships as a member of the Australian archery team.
Jessica also won two gold medals and one bronze at the 2023 Open National Target Championships in Brisbane, and this year, she secured three golds at the National Youth Archery Championships. Jessica has also been training at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra as part of an elite pathways squad.
“I joined the Olympic National Recurve Development Squad, and every year we have about four camps at the AIS. It’s just a bunch of archers from around Australia,” she tells salt. “It’s very cool training at the AIS; it’s a very different atmosphere.”
Being in such a competitive environment has accelerated Jessica’s growth, not just in the sport but also within herself.
“I went through quite a big struggle just before the World Archery Youth Championships,” she explains.
“I wasn’t really used to being that mentally focused because I was training so much. I was training every day and I was just really struggling to find the joy in it.
“And then I went to World Youth and being in that environment really opened my mind up to what the world stage is like.
“I didn’t do as well as I would have liked, but it just let me enjoy the moment a bit more, get to know people and just kind of accept it. It also gave me motivation to work harder. I came back and just found my love for archery. It’s just been like that ever since.”
Jessica admits that performing a sport that revolves around precision has been challenging for a self-confessed perfectionist. Yet she’s learning to release her need for flawlessness and trust in the process.
“I definitely think I’ve matured in my approach. I used to be very anxious about my scores and very nervous about competitions. I definitely just trust my training a lot more now,” she says.
So what does a week in the life of an aspiring Olympian and Year 12 student look like?
“I do two school sports (currently basketball and touch football), which are one day a week each. And I’ve recently been accepted into the University of the Sunshine Coast High Performance Youth Academy so I train at their high-performance gym three mornings a week.
“And then on the other two mornings, I go to the gym by myself,” Jessica says.
“I train at my club four days a week, and then I usually train at home once or twice a week, depending on how much schoolwork I haven’t done. And I also work casually at a resort. Then I have the odd competition here and there, usually on Sundays. So it’s quite a busy schedule.”
It certainly is.
When asked about her plans for next year, it’s no surprise that Jessica intends to take a gap year – a well-deserved opportunity to catch her breath. But it won’t be a total pause, as she maintains her training in preparation for the 2025 World Archery Youth Championships in Canada.
“Depending on how I go at World Youth, I was looking at doing some travelling, which would be quite cool. Then I’m looking at coming back and studying engineering.”
Jessica also has her sights firmly set on the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and 2032 in Brisbane – the thought of competing in the green and gold in front of a home crowd adds an extra layer of motivation.
“I decided not to go for the Olympic trials this year just because of Year 12. It would have been a bit too hectic with my schooling because I’m still trying to do well. But I’m definitely looking towards ’28 and ’32.”
Jessica’s trajectory is a testament to dedication, resilience and the power of pursuing one’s passion. She insists, however, that none of it would have been possible without the support and guidance of those who have shaped her along the way – particularly her parents, grandparents, brother, coaches and school.
In Jessica’s eyes, she shares her success with each and every one of them, a trait that will undoubtedly bode well for this young lady’s future.
From a playful holiday mishap to standing on the world stage, her story is an inspiring reminder that with hard work and a clear vision, dreams can soar. And there is no doubt we will be cheering her on as she aims for gold.