Scarborough archer Crispin Duenas isn’t going to attempt to kid anybody by suggesting he’s simply “hoping to shoot well” at the Beijing Games.

He has a medal in his sights.

Canada has never won an Olympic medal in archery, a situation the Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute grad is hoping to change.

“I don’t want to say that my goal at the Olympics is to try my hardest, and whatever happens happens,” said the third-year University of

Toronto physics student who makes his Olympic debut from Aug. 9 to 15 at the Olympic Green Archery Field.

“I’m saying I want to do my best and I want to win a medal. If I don’t, then at least I went down fighting.”

He missed the cut in 2004 after failing to qualify.

Ranked 54th in the world, the five-foot-seven, 140-pound Duenas was singled out a few years ago for his quick gains and sharp shooting by two-time Olympic archer Robert Rusnov. Markham native Rusnov once declared him ‘by far the best archer this country has ever produced’.

The remark goes miles considering Rusnov himself was a longstanding Canadian champion (from 1992 to 2000).

Duenas downplays the quote, to some degree, but agrees it’s helped build some confidence.

“I think he said that because one year I broke a few Canadian records,” he said, “and maybe because of my age at the time, and my ability to keep my composure.”

It was at his home club, Archers of Caledon, where head coach Joan Macdonald long ago unearthed the Olympian. She approached Duenas, who caught her eye, on a visit to his club and asked if he was interested in competing nationally.

“She gave me her business card. It said ‘Olympic coach’, and I thought, ‘Oh, OK.’” he said, explaining that until that point he wasn’t really taking the sport too seriously.

Macdonald – a former Canadian champion with 13 national titles from 1962 to ’92 and a fixture of the national program in one capacity or another ever since – has been a coach and an adviser to the young star.

His parents have also been significant to his success, he said.

His parents weren’t exceptionally amazed that he realized his Olympic dream, he said. They sort of expected it from him.

“They’re the best parents an athlete could have,” Duenas said. “They support me all the time, 100 per cent. 
“They’ve lived with my Olympic dream ever since the beginning and they are very proud of me.”

Duenas and a number of other Canadian athletes who were lucky enough to qualify in the early qualifications stages, were summoned by the Canadian Olympic Committee to take part in a dry run of the facilities as part of its Familiarization, Simulation and Test Event Participation program.

The program gives athletes an idea of what to expect at the Games this summer.

“I’ve already shot there. I’ve seen the venue. I can visualize everything, which really helps out a lot.”