Belfast archer Conor Hall relished competing in front of a bumper Parisian crowd despite a short-lived run in the men’s team event.
After a difficult opening to the Games in the ranking round, the Team GB trio of Hall, Alex Wise and Tom Hall were seeded 12th out of 12 teams for the competition.
They were duly given a tricky opening tie against Chinese Taipei and went down 6-0.
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“Difficult one to take,” said Hall.
“We didn’t shoot badly; we didn’t shoot our very best. We’ve turned up against a very good, very strong Chinese Taipei side who have got great pedigree.
“We knew they could turn up; we knew equally they might turn up and not be on their game. Unfortunately for us they were, and that didn’t give us a lot of time to find our sixth gear.
“That’s the way this goes. There’s not a huge amount for us to take away from it. It’s painfully quick sometimes.”
The archery competitions in the French capital are being staged at Les Invalides, a stunning group of buildings on the banks of the River Seine.
Huge stands hulk over the range on either side and the Northern Irishman was in awe of the audience.
“The atmosphere was absolutely incredible,” said Tokyo Olympian Tom Hall.
“We don’t usually get massive crowds in archery; at World Cup level events you wouldn’t get this many people.
“It’s really nice having the home support – it felt like a home crowd. We heard cheers from everywhere, left, right. The crowd is quite far away so you don’t feel overwhelmed by it.
“When I shot in Essen, at the European Championships, you could almost touch the crowd. It was right there, so you have a different atmosphere, but here feels really open. Good set up. Looking forward to getting out here again in the individuals and showing what I can do.”
Hall’s Olympics is not yet over with his individual campaign yet to come.
He has been drawn to face Jean-Charles Valladont in the first round of the individual, with the Rio Olympic silver medallist set to enjoy the backing of a home French crowd.
“It [the loss] hurts, so probably taking it in a little bit, but I don’t think any of us will let it bother us too much,” said Wise.
“A little reflect, regroup and get back to training for the individuals, which are coming up in two, three days, and give that everything.”
Watch every moment of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live only on discovery+, the streaming home of the Olympics.