2012 London Olympics: ‘Hunger Games’ trainer Khatuna Lorig advances in women’s archery

Khatuna Lorig, who coached Hollywood actress Jennifer Lawrence on how to shoot an arrow for her role in blockbuster film “The Hunger Games”, gained a 6-0 win over Sherab Zam of Bhutan in women’s archery at the 2012 London Olympics yesterday.

Khatuna Lorig, who is a five-time Olympic archer, also gained a 6-4 victory over Denmark’s Louise Laursen, who had previously ousted Canada's Marie-Pier Beaudet 7-3. With the match against Laursen tied at 3, Lorig managed to shoot two 10s in a row and gained a 5-3 lead. In the final set, she needed a 10 to win and got it.

Lorig competed for the Unified Team and won a bronze medal in 1992 in Barcelona. She belongs to the Republic of Georgia and was able to compete for her native country in 1996 in Atlanta. In 2000, she competed as Khatuna Lorigi. It was at the Beijing Olympics, however, that she became a U.S. citizen.

Khatuna Lorig is renowned because she trained Jennifer Lawrence in archery for her role in “The Hunger Games”. The film, with Lawrence as the spirited heroine with a deadly bow and arrow, was a box office hit when it came out in March. Since then, archery has gained popularity, especially among the youth.

In an interview, Lorig told the Chicago Tribune that she had witnessed a rise of interest in archery since the movie was released.

“I have a friend who is coaching and he usually gets four or five calls a month about archery. Now he’s getting 10 a week,” she told the tabloid.

The Washington Post’s Petula Dvorak has said in a report that interest in archery has inundated Washington-area sport centers.

“It’s never been like this before; it’s been crazy," said a besieged Farron Moss, who runs Hoffman Archery in Warrenton. "We’re being called left and right to put on archery camps. So much so that it’s affecting my retail business."

“Last year, eight boys signed up for his class. This summer at one of his camps, he had nine tween girls in his archery store, sitting on the floor in between boxes of arrows, rows of camo gear and a stuffed, impaled bear. They are all braces and lanky legs, sparkly Sketchers shoes and Katniss braids,” she added.

Khatuna Lorig will compete in the archery finals on Thursday.