Wunderle’s Olympic medals on display at the Arlee in Mason City
 

[August 03, 2016]  MASON CITY - Mason City’s own Olympic archer Vic Wunderle wants to share his trophies with those who first cheered him on, so his silver and bronze medals will be on display at the Arlee Theater during business hours Aug. 5 – 15. The Arlee, at 139 S. Main St. in Mason City, opens for movies at 6:30 p.m. Friday through Monday, and also 1:30 p.m. on Sundays.

Also on display will be two of the gold medals he has garnered at world events: the 2007 Indoor World Championship and 2009 World Games.

Wunderle, 40, has competed since before he could read, and has numerous national and world titles. He represented the U.S. A. on the Olympic teams competing at Sydney, Athens and Beijing. He won an individual silver and team bronze at the 2000 Sydney Games, not to mention 44 national and several world titles.

“So many people in the community were so supportive of me during my training,” Wunderle said. “I wanted to give them an opportunity to view the success they helped me achieve.”

Vic’s dad, Terry Wunderle, is considered one of the top archery coaches in the world, and the elder’s book, “Archery: Think and Shoot Like a Champion,” is popular among serious archers. Vic has left a few autographed copies of the shooting guide at the Arlee for purchase.

On July 14, the World Archery Federation based in Switzerland listed Vic Wunderle among the world’s best ever Olympic archers, placing him second in honorable mention following their top 15. (See sidebar) When this list was published, Wunderle was still in contention for yet another berth on an Olympic team. When the dust settled, he narrowly missed a position, placing ninth.

He did, however win a spot on the U.S. Field Archery Team, and will complete for the U.S.A. at the World Championships in Ireland Sept. 25 – Oct. 3.

Best Olympic Archers of All-Time: Round-up and Honourable Mentions

Excerpt Reprinted from World Archery, July 14, 2016: (PRINTED WITH PERMISSION)

Although he never took a gold medal, Victor Steven "Vic" Wunderle had an Olympic career remarkable for its consistency.

He took individual silver at his first Olympics in 2000, beaten by home champion Simon Fairweather. That year, he also took a bronze medal with the USA team, by beating Russia in a shootoff.

In 2004, he won three matches in a row before being stopped by eventual champion Marco Galiazzo in the quarterfinals. He also helped the men’s team to a fourth place finish.

In 2008, he dispatched then World Archery Champion Im Dong Hyun in the third round in the biggest upset of the tournament, but was again stopped in the quarterfinals, this time by Juan Rene Serrano.

In his career, he took a host of Pan-American Games medals, and a team bronze at the World Championships in 1999 – and at the age of 40, Wunderle is still trying for the US Olympic team, over 20 years after he became junior World Archery Champion in 1994.

Has any other archer managed three consecutive individual top eight finishes at Olympic Games? We don’t think so.

© 2014-2016 World Archery Federation, Maison du Sport International, Avenue de Rhodanie 54, 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland

[Gaye Maxson, Arlee Theater]