Archers lose bronze medal battle

1:08am Monday 11th August 2008

Britain's women archers missed out on a bronze medal in Beijing by a whisker after losing narrowly to France in the team competition.

Alison Williamson, 36, Charlotte Burgess, 21, and Naomi Folkard, 24, lost 202-201 after a long delay caused by a thunderstorm to finish fourth.

Williamson, from Wolverhampton, Folkard, from Kidderminster and Burgess, from Stockport, were given a bye into the quarter-finals and there they beat Japan 201-196 to set up a semi-final showdown with China but the hosts triumphed 208-202.

It is the fifth Olympics that Williamson, bronze medallist in Athens, has represented Britain.