Jason Lyon

Lore & Background

Lyon began his international career at the 2004 World Junior Archery Championships and progressed to senior events, competing in the 2005 and 2007 World Senior Archery Championships. At the 2007 World Championships, he was part of Team Canada (with Crispin Duenas and Hugh MacDonald) that placed eighth in the Team Round and secured three Olympic team spots for Canada, the first full team qualification since 1996. That same year, at the 2007 Pan-American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Lyon finished fourth individually, losing the bronze match to Vic Wunderle (USA) 109–114, but set and broke the Pan-American Games' 12-arrow match-play record during earlier rounds. He also won a silver medal in the team event, where Canada set a Pan-American Games Record with a 224.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Lyon ranked 47th in the ranking round with 646 points. He defeated Chinese home favourite Xue Haifeng 111–106 in the first round, then beat Brady Ellison 113–107 in the second round. In the third round, he lost to Russia's Bair Badënov 115–110; Badënov went on to win the bronze medal. Lyon's 10th-place finish made him the highest-ranking Canadian in an Olympic archery event, a position he still holds. In the team event, with John-David Burnes and Crispin Duenas, Canada placed 11th after the ranking round and lost to Italy 219–217 in the first round; the notes also state they went on to reach the final and win the silver medal, though this appears inconsistent with the earlier result.

In 2010, Lyon won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, losing the gold medal match to India's Rahul Banarjee 6–5 in the set system. At the 2011 World Championships in Italy, he shot a ranking score of 1350, ranked eighth, and finished fifth in matchplay, earning Canada an Olympic quota place. He was the only Canadian to have achieved the 1350 benchmark score. Later in 2011, he added archery legend Jay Barrs to his support team as his personal coach, and they continued working together toward the 2016 Olympic Games.

Reader's Guide

Jason Lyon's career is marked by several milestones in Canadian archery. He held the FITA 1440 record at 1345, a score considered a landmark in recurve archery, and was the first and only Canadian recurve archer to hold that title. He also achieved the 1350 benchmark score, a feat that took significant efforts for others to approach. At the 2008 Olympics, his 10th-place finish remains the highest for a Canadian in an Olympic archery event, and he still holds the top Canadian archer spot. His performance at the 2007 Pan-American Games included setting and breaking the 12-arrow match-play record, and his team silver medal there set a Pan-American Games Record. Lyon's consistency across World Championships, Commonwealth Games, and Pan-American Games demonstrates his sustained presence at the international level. His addition of Olympic gold medalist Jay Barrs as a personal coach in 2011 reflects his commitment to high-level training. Lyon also balanced his athletic career with studies in kinesiology at the University of Winnipeg.

Did You Know?

• At the 2008 Olympics, Lyon's 10th-place finish is the highest for a Canadian in Olympic archery.
• He added archery legend Jay Barrs to his support team in 2011 as his personal coach.