 As a teenager Burgess was widely regarded as an upcoming star of British archery, narrowly missing out on qualifying for a spot at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, aged just 17.In 2007 Burgess won a bronze medal for Great Britain with Alison Williamson and Naomi Folkard in the women's team event at the 2007 World Archery Championships, defeating the Italian team in the bronze medal match following a defeat to South Korea in the semi-final.Later that year Burgess, Williamson and Folkard were medallists at the fourth stage of the 2007 Archery World Cup held in Dover, winning the women's team recurve tournament.