Ryan Tyack

Lore & Background

Tyack began archery at age nine in 2000 and made his junior debut in 2003. His mother, Lynette Rankin-Tyack, persuaded him to take up real archery instead of computer games, and she became his official coach in 2004, continuing to coach him as of the notes. At his first Youth National Championships he had no coach, so his mother repaired his equipment and coached him. He is from Nambour, Queensland on the Sunshine Coast. In 2006 he won gold in the male recurve cadet event at the Junior World Outdoor Target Championships in Mérida, Mexico. In 2008 he was part of the Australian team that won gold in the under-18 event at the World Youth Archery Championships in Antalya, Turkey. In 2009, he was the world junior champion in recurve archery event. As a seventeen-year-old he competed at the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival, carrying the Australian flag during the opening ceremony; it was his second time at the event. In September 2011 he was named to the Australian archery shadow Olympic team for the 2012 Summer Olympics. In December 2011 he set a national record of 685. He competed at the 2012 Oceania Olympic Qualification competition as a twenty-year-old, scoring 674 under less than ideal conditions and winning the men's individual event. He competed at the 2012 World Indoor Championships in Las Vegas. In January 2012 he was named World Archery Athlete of the Week. As of May 2012 he had not qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics; to make the Games he needed to qualify at the World Cup event in Ogden, Utah.

Reader's Guide

Ryan Tyack's career illustrates a progression from junior world champion to senior international competitor. His early success at the Junior World Outdoor Target Championships and World Youth Archery Championships established him as a promising talent in recurve archery. His 2014 World Indoor Archery Championships individual gold marked a high point in his senior career. Tyack's path to the Olympics included being named to the shadow squad for 2012, though he did not ultimately compete that year. He qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics and later for the 2020 Tokyo Games, where he was part of Australia's men's archery team alongside David Barnes and Taylor Worth. In Tokyo, Tyack was eliminated in the individual event by Turkey's Mete Gazoz in the round of 32, and the Australian team lost to the favoured Taiwan team in the first round. His mother's role as his coach from his early years through his senior career is a distinctive feature of his development.

Did You Know?

• Tyack started archery at age nine in 2000 after his mother persuaded him to give up computer archery and fencing games.
• His mother, Lynette Rankin-Tyack, became his official coach in 2004 and still coaches him.
• He carried the Australian flag during the opening ceremony of the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival.
• He set a national record of 685 in December 2011.