Iwona Marcinkiewicz - Poland

Poland’s Iwona Marcinkiewicz emerged as an Olympic contender when she won the 2004 European championships in Brussels in May. Her win against the strong field established her as one of the major threats to Korea’s recent domination of women’s archery.

To win the European title, Marcinkiewicz survived a tie-breaker semi-final with Italy’s Natalia Valeeva, the defending champion. She then beat Great Britain’s Alison Williamson, competing in her fourth Olympics in Athens, in the final.

Marcinkiewicz, 29, will compete in her first Olympics in Athens. She missed selection for the Sydney 2000 Olympics after travelling to Australia for an Olympic Test Event in 1999.

She won a Grand Prix tournament in 2003 before placing a disappointing 39th in the world championships in New York. She then helped Poland to a promising fifth in the team event.

Marcinkiewicz competed in the Golden Arrow Grand Prix in Antalya, Turkey, last month. She placed fourth in the individual event and won a silver medal in the team event.

She and her two Athens team-mates, Malgorzata Sobieraj and Justyna Mospinek, stayed in Antalya after the tournament to train in the summer heat, similar to what they will experience in Athens during the Games.