Late call-up Dani covers herself in World Cup glory (From Craven Herald)

Late call-up Danielle Brown covers herself in World Cup glory

10:00am Thursday 27th September 2012 in Sport By Bill Marshall

Lothersdale’s Danielle Brown has added another arrow to her considerable bow.

Having already become the first disabled athlete to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games, the 24-year-old has become the first female archer with a disability to compete and get on the podium in a non-disabled World Cup final.

Brown was a late call-up to the tournament in Tokyo after the withdrawal of Olga Bosch, and only the dead-eye accuracy of Jamie Van Natta stopped her from crowning her debut with the main prize.

Brown, a Paralympic gold winner in both Beijing and London, came from behind to beat world No 3 Mar-cella Tonioli in the last eight.

She then saw off America’s Christine Colin in the semi-final, beating her by four points, only to find Van Natta too tough.

The American started the better, leading by a point after the first end and stretching that margin to three points after end three, when Brown shot two nines.

The Yorkshirewoman came back in the fifth with a nine to Van Natta’s eight to claw the margin back to two points but, despite a ten with her final arrow, she had left it too late and the American prevailed 140-139 with a final nine.

Nevertheless the Lothersdale woman had again showed that she is a world-class archer in any competition.

A law graduate, Brown won gold in the women’s individual compound in London earlier this month to com-plete a phenomenal few weeks.

She is only the fourth Great Britain archer to win a World Cup medal. Alan Wills took bronze in Dubai five years ago, Nichola Simpson won silver in Lausanne in 2008, and Simon Terry a silver in Copenhagen the following year.

Indeed, it was Van Natta who beat Simpson in the women’s compound final in 2008.

Brown took up archery at the age of 15 after she was diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a neurological condition that causes her severe burning pains in her feet.

Her sister, Georgina, is an able-bodied archer.