Archery: Nigeria win historic team gold, seven medals at African Championships

Nigeria recorded its best-ever outing at the African Archery Championships, returning home with seven medals — one gold, five silver and one bronze at the just concluded 15th edition of the continental competition in Oran, Algeria.

The medal haul was highlighted by a historic gold medal in the barebow women’s team event, while Nigerian archers also reached the podium in both the barebow and compound categories, underlining the country’s growing status in African archery.

The championships, held from 21 to 26 July, featured 138 archers from 18 countries competing under the auspices of World Archery Africa (WAAf).

Historic team gold

Nigeria’s biggest success came in the barebow women’s team event, where Faith Adekogbe, Mandu Eteidung and Precious Fanny-Amun defeated hosts Algeria 5-3 in the final to claim the continental title.

The victory marked Nigeria’s first-ever team gold medal at the African Archery Championships and capped an impressive campaign for the trio.

Adekogbe shines

Faith Adekogbe emerged as Nigeria’s standout performer, winning three medals during the competition.

In addition to helping the women’s team secure gold, she claimed individual silver after reaching the final as the top seed. She defeated Algeria’s Malia Ait Messaoudene 6-4 in the quarter-finals before overcoming compatriot Precious Fanny-Amun by the same score in an all-Nigerian semi-final. She eventually settled for silver after losing 6-0 to Algeria’s Marwa Rahmoun in the final.

Adekogbe also teamed up with Abubakar Usman to win silver in the barebow mixed team event.

Usman finished the championships with two silver medals, while the barebow men’s team of Abdul Rahman Obasa, Abdulbasit Sanni and Usman also claimed silver after finishing runners-up to Algeria.

Nigeria reached all three barebow team finals and the women’s individual final.

Compound success

Nigeria added three more medals in the compound events.

The men’s team of Aliyu Abubakar, Seun Emmanuel Oyeleke and Damilola Bartholomew Sholademi defeated Algeria 205-183 in the semi-finals before losing 197-182 to Mauritius in the final to settle for silver.

The mixed compound team of Hareke Evans and Seun Emmanuel Oyeleke also reached the final after beating Algeria 143-102 in the last four, but lost 142-138 to Namibia to earn another silver medal.

Evans rounded off a successful outing by winning bronze in the compound women’s individual event, defeating Algeria’s Sihem Akli 129-90 in the third-place match.

Oyeleke ended the championships with two silver medals from the men’s team and mixed team competitions.

Nigeria’s biggest-ever contingent

The Nigeria Archery Federation (NAFED) sent an 18-athlete delegation to Oran, the country’s largest contingent ever at the African Championships.

The team competed across six divisions and was led by NAFED President Mohammed Baba Abdullahi, alongside Vice-President Augustine Obiefuna Chigbolu, with Aliyu Garga serving as coach.

The performance builds on Nigeria’s recent progress in the sport after medal-winning campaigns in Pretoria (2022) and Nabeul, Tunisia (2023), as well as gold medal performances at the 2025 African Championships and Africa’s inaugural Run Archery Tournament, both held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Federation hails milestone

Reacting to the team’s performance, NAFED President described the result as a defining moment for Nigerian archery.

“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.”

The federation’s Director of Marketing, Emmanuel Oyeleke, said the success should inspire greater investment in the sport.

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“Behind every medal in Oran are thousands of young Nigerians picking up a bow for the first time. With the right partners, we can turn today’s headlines into ranges, coaches and champions in every state. This is how a sport is built — and we’re inviting Nigeria to build it with us.”

He added that while the athletes had shown discipline and determination, they needed stronger support from the private sector.

“Our athletes have trained with discipline and sacrifice. What they need now is the backing of corporate Nigeria — partners who want to be part of a story of excellence at the very beginning of its arc.”

The federation appealed to corporate organisations, brands and individuals to support the national team through sponsorship, athlete development, equipment provision, travel logistics and media partnerships as it seeks to build on its breakthrough performance in Oran.