Taking aim at an Olympic medal

“It isn’t going to feel real until I walk into the village and see the Olympic rings.”

When speaking to Eric Peters (BSc ’22) days before his first Olympic event, he appears calm and focused. After over a decade of training, practicing and competing in archery, he’s feeling ready to make his Olympic debut at the Summer Games.

“Coming here, knowing that I’m representing Canada, and all that hard work that I’ve put in over many, many years ... it just feels really good,” he said with a smile. “It’s a bit of a relief. I’m a little anxious and excited ... lots of feelings.”

Peters grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, but has been living in Kitchener since he attended the University of Waterloo. His archery career took off while he was a student in the Faculty of Science and Eric says he’s grateful for the supportive professors who helped make it possible for him to live out his dreams, while keeping up with his studies.

“I remember I wrote a quantum mechanics exam in Dr. Nooijen’s office because I had to jump on a plane right after and go to another country for an event.”

Peters has been shooting a bow since he was 11, but his parents weren’t keen for him to take up a shooting sport at that age.

“I got into it because I was a nerdy kid. I like fantasy books, movies and games and all that sort of stuff,” he said. “The idea of archery really appealed to me, and I begged my parents to let me try it.”

When he came to Waterloo, Peters found camaraderie with the UW Archery Club. He regrets not having more free time to be involved as a student but appreciates how they’ve built awareness for the sport.

“I used to say ‘it’s not very often people get to try archery’ but the UW Archery Club is making that happen. They’re always very busy at the beginning of each semester with students who are excited to give it a try,” Peters said.

Following the Archery World Cup in Antalaya, Türkiye in June, Peters is ranked fifth in the world. At the World Archery Championships in 2023, he won silver in the men’s individual recurve event. Eric also represented Canada at two Pan American Games — Santiago 2023 and Lima 2019, where he was a double medalist.

I’m looking forward to competing, that’s why I’m here — to represent Canada and do my best,

Standing on the podium at the Summer Games would be historic, not just for Peters, but for Team Canada which has yet to win an Olympic medal in archery.

“I’ve had lots of opportunities to do really cool things up to this point, but this is the big one,” Peters said and added that competing at the Olympics has been his goal since he was an adolescent. “It’s always been part of the plan.”

Back in 2021, he was close to making his Olympic debut in Tokyo for the postponed 2020 games. When he didn’t make it, he was motivated for Paris.

“There’s never a guarantee, you never know what's going to happen, you still have to work really hard and put everything forward and do your job,” Peters said. “But it’s always felt reasonable to expect that I could go in 2024.”

Team Canada is sending two archers to Paris — Peters, along with Virginie Chénier of Laval, Quebec. Eric competed in the individual ranking round July 25, which seated him in 36th place. His next individual event is scheduled for July 30. The gold medal event for men’s individual archery is August 4.

When he's finished competing, Peters plans to explore Paris with his fiancée. While he’s visited the city several times for competitions leading up to the games, he’s only familiar with the inside of hotels and the archery range.

“I’m looking forward to competing, that’s why I’m here — to represent Canada and do my best,” Peters said. “But beyond the competition, I do have a couple days after my events before I leave, so we can tour Paris and see the Louvre and Eiffel Tower.”

With the University of Waterloo community cheering for him, Peters feels grateful for all the support and remains humble while taking in the experience.

“It feels really cool. I feel honoured and it’s just incredible.”

In addition to Eric Peters, former Waterloo student Claire Scheffel will be competing with Canada’s Artistic Swim Team. She is also making her Olympic debut after qualifying for the Summer Games in February. The University of Waterloo sends best wishes to all Olympians and supporters connected to our community.