WHEN considering the world’s greatest current sportsmen, the mind invariably flicks to two men: tennis maestro Roger Federer and golf champion Tiger Woods.
In the past decade the pair have dominated their sports to an extent few thought imaginable, and the statistics speak for themselves.
Federer, who holds the record for most consecutive weeks ranked No.1 in the world (237), will arrive in Melbourne for next month’s Australian Open with a 688-162 ATP win-loss record in his 11-year career.
Meanwhile, Woods, who has held the No.1 world ranking for a record 580 weeks, has made a remarkable 238 cuts of 253 events, finished in the top 10 on 164 occasions and celebrated 71 victories.
Both are incredible records, but they’re nothing compared to Ethan Aldred’s feats in archery.
In the 17-year-old’s nine years of competitive archery, he has never been beaten. Not locally or at state level. Not even at one of the national or international events where he has won more than 10 gold medals.
The significance of Ethan’s winning streak hasn’t been lost on his coach, practice partner and father, Trevor Aldred.
“He has won every trophy since the age of eight,” Trevor Aldred glows.
“Imagine if a competitor in tennis or golf didn’t get beaten from the ages of eight to 17. Tiger Woods never did that — although I know it’s not the same thing — but still, I reckon it’s a fairly impressive record.”
AFTER claiming several NSW and Victorian junior state titles at primary school, Ethan first burst on to the national scene in 2004 when he won two gold medals at the Australian titles.
Two more Australian titles followed in 2005 before he decided to take on the world at the 2006 World Field Archery Championships at Hervey Bay, Queensland.
It was there he became a junior category world champion for the first time at just 13 years of age. More national gold and an International Field Archery Association Pacific gold — during which he broke a 14-year Pacific record that still stands — followed in 2007 before Ethan took his game to a new level in 2008.
He was selected in the Australian under-17 team which travelled to Namibia for the World Field Archery Championships and came home with a gold medal the title of IFAA Junior World Champion.
And Ethan has not done it the easy way.
Amazingly, the Albury youngster has achieved all of his success shooting “bare bow”, without sights or other aids used by most professional archers across the world.
“He’s just got a terrific eye and feel for it,” his father says.
“I’m not the worst archer going around, but he goes out and beats me when I’m using sights and all the technology.
“It’s a bit disheartening actually; it’s like driving a Formula 1 and getting beaten by a V8.”
Ethan has no intention to change.
“It’s just what I become accustomed to — it’s all I’ve known,” he says.
“I’ve tried shooting with sights but it’s never improved my performance. If anything it’s a hindrance.”
Ethan believes composure, more than the ability to shoot straight, is the most important aspect to his game.
“What makes a good archer? I think it’s just about being persistent and not getting frustrated,” he says.
“If you can just accept you’ve had a crap day, that makes a good archer.
“If you get worried about it and stress over a couple of bad shots, you’re going to fail, it’s as simple as that really.”
Ethan has a busy 2010 in front of him starting with the Australian titles in May, followed by the World Field Archery Titles in Germany in July.
And after that, more of the same.
“I think I’ll just keep going around trying to win national and world titles,” he said.
“I’m still considering the Olympics ... but I shoot a bare bow and the Olympics use equipment with sights and all the other aids, so it would take some adjusting, but it’s definitely something I’m considering.”
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