Namibia Strikes Gold at Archery World Championships in Historic Home Victory

Namibia Strikes Gold at Archery World Championships in Historic Home Victory. Namibia’s archery teams delivered a stunning performance at the Archery World Championships, claiming gold across multiple categories and making history as hosts of the international event for the first time.

Held at the Jan Wilken Sports Complex, the championships attracted over 250 archers from Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, and Canada, all competing in the Bull’s Eye, 3D, and Overall categories.

Namibia’s African Genesis Archery (AGA) teams dominated the Junior and Development divisions, sweeping gold in Bull’s Eye, 3D, and Overall categories. This milestone marks the first time Namibia has outperformed long-standing champions AGA South Africa in these divisions.

In national rankings, Namibia took top honours, followed by South Africa and Canada, while in the development rankings, Namibia was trailed by Canada and Zimbabwe.

Willem van der Merwe from Windhoek Afrikaans Private School stood out in the national team, winning gold in Bull’s Eye, silver in 3D, and silver Overall. He also secured silver in the individual Bull’s Eye championship and bronze in the combined individual rankings.

Other standout performances included:

• AJ van Niekerk (Moria Private School): gold in 3D, silver in Bull’s Eye, silver Overall
• Lume Kolver (Berg-Op Academy): silver in 3D
• Michael Basson and Teresa Kasomba (Community Hope School): multiple medals
• Marionette de Waal (Walvis Bay): bronze in 3D

In a friendly match, the AGA Africa team defeated Canada by 59 points, further cementing their dominance.

Namibia’s Burton Weakley, Ru-Wayne Bezuidenhout, and van der Merwe were selected for the AGA World Team, while AGA Namibia President Poenie Weakley was elected Vice President of AGA Africa.

The next Archery World Championships will be hosted in Canada in 2027.