World number one Marcus D’Almeida will experience India’s Archery Premier League from the inside for the first time this season, having followed the inaugural edition from afar.
The Brazilian was particularly impressed by the high level of competition and how much fun the archers seemed to have despite the pressure.
“I watched the first season of the APL, and what really stood out to me was the high level of competition and how much fun the archers seemed to be having out there,” D’Almeida said. “Seeing that combination got me excited to be part of it myself.”
The atmosphere around the competition also caught his attention, with the crowd energy, quality of the archers and production of the event leaving a strong impression on the reigning world number one.
“Everything I saw got me excited – the crowd energy, the level of the archers, the production and structure of the event. Everything was really high quality, and that was definitely part of why I wanted to be involved this season.”
D’Almeida will now get his chance when the second season begins in Hyderabad on 8 October. The competition runs until 18 October and will feature 48 archers across six franchises, including 36 Indian and 12 international archers.
He is among three international archers making their Premier League debut this season, alongside USA Olympic bronze medallist Casey Kaufhold and Colombia’s world number three compound archer Alejandra Usquiano.
