The qualification measure
Chen finished under-21 qualification at the Swiss Open with 549 points. World Archery reports an average of 9.15 per arrow. Those two numbers provide the starting measure for the 12-year-old at this competition. The score is a qualification total, rather than a result from an elimination match or a medal contest. Qualification and the subsequent stages require separate readings. For an archer encountering international indoor competition for the first time, this is a concrete baseline for discussing preparation.[1]
Chen and 13-year-old team-mates Jia Yinru and Zhang Xinyi spent a total of eight hours working with Bernardo Oliveira during their first two days before competition. The coach addressed posture, bow tuning and simulated ends designed to familiarise them with the competition format. Learning how scoring worked was also part of that preparation. Their task therefore included becoming comfortable with the competition’s rhythm before the arrow reached the target.[1]
The limit of a balance adjustment
Oliveira concentrated particularly on balance. Work with balance pads aimed to keep the hips anchored and prevent the shoulder from creeping forward. The trade-off is clear: rebuilding an entire stance close to competition can also disturb the movement an archer knows. The coach explained that he avoided major technical changes at this stage because they could lower scores. The limited preparation time constrained the scale of the intervention.[1]
It would be premature to treat that approach as the direct cause of 549 points. Chen’s existing ability and adjustment to the event also contribute to the total. There is no before-and-after score comparison isolating the effect of those eight hours. The technical choice that matters here is which problem to address during a short preparation period: working on balance while limiting the risk of dismantling the entire movement before competition.[1]
The card and the distant goal
The three youngsters come from the Jingshe club in Qingdao. Founded by Amy Li more than a decade ago, it has over 200 registered members and links with local schools. A plan to bring at least 10 archers to Switzerland shrank to three after parents cancelled. Access to international indoor experience therefore depended on family travel decisions as well as technical work. The 549 on Chen’s card belongs to an archer who actually reached the competition with that small group.[1]
Chen says he wants Olympic gold; his more immediate wish at this event is to see the Swiss Alps. The distant ambition and today’s qualification score describe different timescales. The measure from this round remains 549 and 9.15 per arrow. Reading that total at its proper scale allows a young archer’s development to be considered without making a future medal the sole measure of progress. An observable signal of progress is a rise in both total and per-arrow average under comparable qualification conditions.[1]