Nigeria’s remarkable outing at the 15th African Archery Championships in Oran, Algeria, was defined not only by a record seven-medal haul but also by the resilience of one of its most experienced archers, Damilola Sholademi, who battled travel and equipment challenges to help the country secure a historic podium finish.
Competing with borrowed equipment after his bow went missing during transit, Sholademi played a key role as Nigeria won one gold, five silver and one bronze medal—the country’s best-ever performance at the continental championships.
Nigeria’s lone gold medal came in the women’s barebow team event, where Faith Adekogbe, Mandu Eteidung and Precious Fanny-Amun defeated hosts Algeria 5-3 to become African champions.
Sholademi was part of the men’s compound team alongside Aliyu Abubakar and Seun Emmanuel Oyeleke, who defeated Algeria 205-183 in the semi-finals before settling for silver after a 197-182 defeat to Mauritius in the final.
Reflecting on the team’s achievement, an elated Sholademi said the medal haul represented a major milestone for Nigerian archery. “Honestly, we did well. This is our largest medal count. The best we’ve ever had was just three in Tunisia.”
The Nigeria Archery Federation (NAFED) Technical Director attributed the success to years of preparation, resilience and collaboration, highlighting the role of the ARCH Archery Club and Shooters’ Archery Club in developing military personnel who now compete for the Defence Archery team. “We had trained them years before, and we have an excellent relationship with them.”
Damilola Sholademi
Based in the United States, Sholademi is currently pursuing a Level 3 national coaching certification while volunteering his time to teach archery.
His journey to the podium, however, was far from…
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