Nervous Danielle wins place in Paralympic semi-final (From Craven Herald)

Nervous Danielle wins place in Paralympic semi-final

3:18pm Monday 3rd September 2012 in News

Para-archer Danielle Brown admitted she almost buckled under pressure after squeezing into the semi-finals at the London 2012 Paralympics - but she vowed not to make the same mistake again as she bids to defend her crown.
The 22-year-old from Lothersdale made a solid start in yesterday’s quarter-final match against Maria Rubio Larrion of Spain, taking a 2-0 advantage in the first set but after the second was tied, she allowed her opponent to level before eventually securing a 6-4 victory in the fifth and final set.
It was an uncharacteristically nervous performance by the world number one but she has booked a semi-final berth with Marina Lyzhnikova tomorrow and could well face fellow Brit Mel Clarke, who also reached the last four, in the final.
But Brown, who became the first Paralympian to compete in an able-bodied event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games where she helped England to team gold, is only too aware that improvements must be made. “I’ve been shooting really well in practice but I don't really know what happened, letting her back into the match,” said Brown. “It must have been the nerves.
“I was a bit disappointed with how I shot but I got through which was the main thing. It’s highlighted a few things that I need to work on for the next match but it is a good place to be because it’s better than being complacent.”