Lesley Sleight: Isle of Man archer enjoys best season yet in 2019

Isle of Man archer Lesley Sleight has set three world records in 2019

Veteran Manx field archer Lesley Sleight says 2019 has been her "best season yet" after setting three world records during the calendar year.

Sleight, who competes in the traditional recurve class, also took veteran World and European titles.

The 56-year-old former teacher from the Isle of Man said she was "proud" of her performances, adding: "I never thought I would get a world record."

She is the only Manx archer to hold a world field archery record.

Since retiring as a teacher last year, Sleight has been able to focus on her passion for the sport, training on a specially-built scaffold in her garden or utilising local glens and farms.

In August, she claimed victory in the veteran class at the 3D European Championships, which saw competitors shooting targets in and around the castle in Doorwerth, Netherlands.

"That was totally new, to shoot upwards in a belfry," she said. "I've not managed a way of practicing uphill shots."

Record breaker

Sleight set two veteran world records in the process with her score of 292 in the field round on day one and 239 in the hunter round on day two.

Her opening-day score was enough to take the adult [21 years plus] record but registration restrictions meant she had to wait a month before she could add it to her list of achievements.

After missing out on the adult record in Doorwerth, Sleight was "determined to show them" at the North American Field Championships in September.

She made a score of 291 in the field round and went on to win the overall title.

A World Veteran Championship victory followed a couple of weeks later after a tense final-day battle with Brazilian archer Clementina Guechewski Riter.