In 1997 he finished a career-high 28th at the world championships. With just 64 archers on the roster in Sydney, the event will be much smaller than the world-class competitions Rusnov is used to. Some World Cup events draw as many as 170 athletes. But that's not to say Rusnov is taking the competition lightly. Most of the top archers in the world will be competing at the Games, including Atlanta silver medallist Magnus Petersson of Sweden, Italian Michele Frangilli and Lionel Torres of France.
Archery requires a vast amount of both physical and mental strength.
On the range, archers are required to pull their bows time and time again, while keeping perfectly still. During an average tournament Rusnov shoots arrows at speeds in excess of 240 kilometres per hour. Over four days he will draw his bow more than 300 times, equaling a total pull of about 6,975 kilograms, or almost seven tonnes. But not all of those arrows make their way to the bullseye, located in the middle of ten concentric rings on the target. Getting past those bad shots is the mental challenge.