In Oran, the Namibian pairing of Jannie Meuwesen and top seed Elisabeth Taljaard beat Nigeria with a comeback in the third set to take mixed team gold.
In LA, sixteen mixed teams will compete for the first ever Olympic compound title, and one of those team spots is guaranteed to Africa.
Other African nations with active compound archers like South Africa, Mauritius and Nigeria will also be striving for the spots – but the medals in Oran are a key milestone attracting national funding required to get to the next stage.
While the national Olympic committee has identified archery as an opportunity, nothing is yet guaranteed. “It’s also inspiring to the young ones to see the success,” said Coetzee.
“When we talk about development and introduction of archery in the country, is to use the success as a background as well. To say, listen, this is what we’ve accomplished already, this is the way you can go.”
“I only started in 2019, so anything is possible! I know there’s a lot of people that think, ‘Yeah, but I’m too old to start with something.’ You’re never too old! It’s not just for the youth, it’s not just for the young ones, but it’s also for the rest of the able and disabled community.”
