Jarrod Rossiter and Maddie Salvestro headed to the New Zealand nationals with no expectations.
Archery
JARROD Rossiter and Maddie Salvestro are Griffith's newest world champions after storming the New Zealand national archery titles earlier this month.
The local pair, both 14, went across the Tasman to build international experience before a busy schedule of events this year but stunned coach Ben Pawson by claiming seven medals between them across the eight-day tournament.
In the men's intermediate compound division, Rossiter took gold in match play and clout and silver in the target and field events.
Salvestro, who competed in the female cadet compound division, won gold in the field and clout and came second in target shooting.
"I couldn't be more proud of both of them," Pawson said.
"We went across with no real expectations apart from to come back with the experience of shooting in a foreign tournament so we can prepare for future ones.
"They've done tournaments here before but nothing on the world stage, nothing internationally. I knew nerves were going to play a big part but both performed exceptionally well."
It was completely unchartered terrain for Rossiter and Salvestro, who were new to the challenging, gusty conditions in New Zealand.
So windy was it that target shooting for one day had to be called off, with howling gales up to 70km/h deemed to be a danger to participants.
"There was nothing there they had been exposed to before. We don't get winds like that here. To call off a day of a world archery tournament, you could imagine it was pretty substantial," Pawson said.
But none of it could shake Rossiter off his game, as he finished 23 points clear of newly-crowed Kiwi champion Isaac Ellery, an established international junior talent, on his own home turf.
Along with Salvestro, who is preparing for the world junior titles in China later this year with fellow local product Dana Biondo, he did no harm to Griffith's growing reputation as an archery talent farm.
"I don't know what it is but we've got a huge number of juniors who love it," Pawson said.
"Jarrod and Maddie have been training up to four hours every day for this tournament and they did so well.
"For a 14-year-old to show that much dedication to the sport and keep that much momentum happening, mentally and physically, it's a big thing."