Netherlands archer Rick van der Ven has blamed the wind for his quarter-final exit in the men's individual event at the European Games in Baku earlier today.
The three-time European champion lost 6-4 to Anton Prilepov of Belarus at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, shooting a three with one arrow to hand his opponent the second set.
The 24-year-old told reporters: "I fucking hate the wind here. It was quite windy that one arrow and we were both shooting great the entire match, but that one arrow decided the entire match so that was a kind of pity that I had to shoot that one arrow in 20 seconds in that kind of wind.
"I couldn't get my sight in the middle and it kept sticking in the left five and then it was 'two, one' and then you just have to make the best of it and it ended up with a three and that opens up quite a big window for your opponent.
"The venue is good, the village is OK. The food is everyday the same so there is not much variation in it so maybe that's something for next time. But it's pleasant being here."
Van der Ven finished fourth in the same event at the Olympics in London in 2012.
Sian Cowper
