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.”
