CLEVE archer Larry Godfrey was philosophical in defeat having failed to live up to his moniker at the London 2012 Olympics – admitting he’s been knocked for six after competing at the home of cricket.
Golden Boy Godfrey has been single-handedly carrying Great Britain’s archery hopes at Lord’s Cricket Ground, but after dazzling his way into the last 16, he agonisingly missed out on a place in the quarter-finals.
After a sluggish start, Godfrey roared back against Khairul Anuar Mohamad of Malaysia and held a 5-3 lead going into the last set, only to see his opponent pull level and force a shoot-off.
Godfrey went first and hit a nine but Mohamad showed nerves of steel to nail a ten, right in the centre of the target, to leave the Brit heading for an early exit.
But the 36-year-old, who has firmly established himself as a fans’ favourite with his cover drive celebrations, believes it just wasn’t meant to be.
“It is a shame for me as I  came here in high spirits,” said Godfrey. “It was pretty close at the end there.
“He is a great player and when it comes down to that at the end what can you do, it’s tough when it comes down to one shot.
“This has been an amazing experience. The Olympics only come around once every four years, so it’s special and it’s a shame I couldn’t make more of the opportunity.
“The atmosphere was great, as it has been all week, and it was a real pleasure playing here in front of a home crowd. It’s certainly a memory I’ll treasure for a long time.
“Archery is a funny sport, anything can happen and it just wasn’t my day.”
It proved third time unlucky for Godfrey, who is still pursuing a first Olympic medal, having finished fourth at Athens in 2004 and then 37th in Beijing four years later.
But Godfrey, a design repair engineer for Rolls Royce, is adamant his Olympic odyssey is not over yet.
“This is my third Olympic Games and this is the best atmosphere I have felt but I’ve still not got a medal,” he added. “I’m only 36 and there are still some big events to try to win this year. The future depends on Rolls Royce.”
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