Nigeria Claims Seven Medals at Continental Archery Championships

Nigeria has made a historic breakthrough at the 15th African Archery Championships in Oran, Algeria, culminating in its most successful campaign to date with a total of seven medals, consisting of one gold, five silver, and one bronze medal.

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The country's barebow women’s team, comprising Faith Adekogbe, Mandu Eteidung, and Precious Fanny-Amun, achieved a remarkable feat by defeating the host nation, Algeria, with a score of five-three, thereby claiming Nigeria's first-ever team gold medal at the continental level.

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Adekogbe emerged as the standout performer, securing a total of three medals, including the team gold, while also reaching the individual final as the top seed and claiming two silver medals in the process.

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In the individual final, Adekogbe outperformed Algeria's Malia Ait Messaoudene with a score of six-four in the quarter-final and then defeated her compatriot Precious Fanny-Amun with the same score in the semi-final, before ultimately settling for silver after losing to Algeria's Marwa Rahmoun in the gold medal match.

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Adekogbe also partnered with Abubakar Usman to secure a silver medal in the barebow mixed team event, while Usman himself collected two silver medals during the campaign.

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The barebow men’s team, consisting of Abdul Rahman Obasa, Abdulbasit Sanni, and Usman, added to Nigeria's medal tally with a silver medal after reaching the final against Algeria, with the country reaching all three barebow team finals as well as the individual barebow women’s final.

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Nigeria's compound events yielded three additional medals, with the compound men’s team of Aliyu Abubakar, Seun Emmanuel Oyeleke, and Damilola Bartholomew Sholademi defeating Algeria with a score of 205-183 in the semi-final, only to lose to Mauritius, led by two-time champion Adrien Charoux, with a score of 182-197 in the final.

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The compound mixed team, comprising Yvonne Hareke Evans-Uhegbu and Oyeleke, also reached the final, defeating Algeria with a score of 143-102 in the semi-final, before narrowly losing to Namibia with a score of 138-142 to claim silver.

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Evans-Uhegbu secured an individual bronze medal in the compound women’s event, defeating Algeria's Sihem Akli with a score of 129-90 in the bronze match, after losing to eventual finalist Jacqueline Coetzee of Namibia in the semi-final.

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Oyeleke concluded the championships with two silver medals from the compound team and mixed events, contributing to Nigeria's overall medal count.

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Nigeria's 18-athlete delegation, the country's largest-ever contingent to an African Championships, competed across six divisions under the auspices of World Archery Africa, with the team led by federation president Mohammed Baba Abdullahi and vice-president Augustine Obiefuna Chigbolu, alongside coach Aliyu Garga.

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The championships, which took place from July 21 to 26, drew a total of 138 archers, comprising 89 men and 49 women, from 18 nations.

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The seven-medal haul builds upon Nigeria's rising performance in archery, following medal wins at the African Championships in Pretoria in 2022 and Nabeul, Tunisia, in 2023, as well as gold at the 2025 African Championships and Africa’s inaugural Run Archery Tournament, both held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

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Abdullahi described the outcome as a turning point for the sport in Nigeria, stating, “Seven medals and our first team gold, this is the day Nigeria stopped competing to take part and started competing to win, and we are only just beginning.”

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The federation's director of marketing, Emmanuel Oyeleke, emphasized that the achievement should serve as a catalyst for increased investment in the sport at the grassroots level, with the federation appealing to corporate organizations, brands, and individuals to support the national team through sponsorship, athlete adoption, equipment supply, travel logistics, and media partnerships, citing the high costs of competing at the continental level.