Actress Davis’ Olympic Bid Ends, but She’s Not Finished With Archery

Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis lost her bid to be an Olympic archer, but she said she loves the challenge and will try again in four years.

“I think I did well. I was very happy,” Davis said Saturday after finishing 24th out of 28 women competing in the semifinals of the U.S. Olympic trials.

Davis, 42, made it to the semifinals only two years after taking her first lesson. The top 16 archers advanced to today’s second round.

Her coach, Don Rabska of Van Nuys, said she was having trouble adapting to the rain.

“It’s tough for us because we never get to practice in the rain in California,” he said. “It caught her a little off guard.”

Davis also said the first serious media attention in her two years as an archer distracted her a bit.

“I was ill-prepared for this onslaught,” she said. “It was like being at a premiere.”

The star of “Thelma & Louise” and “The Accidental Tourist”--for which she won an Academy Award in 1988--was inspired to take up archery after watching Justin Huish of Simi Valley win two gold medals at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.