The seventh African Genesis Archery (AGA) in Namibia was successfully held at the Windhoek High School’s rugby field in the capital on Saturday.
Over 150 archers competed for top honours, as well as a position in the national team that will represent Namibia at the Virtual World Invitation Tournament on 10 December 2022.
The nationals, which were the second such championships held in 2022, saw Burton Weakley of Windhoek High School crowned overall national champion after scoring 290.22 points.
The top performing awards went to Aurelio Rouben Gariseb from Community Hope School in the boys’ category, after scoring 290 points. In the girls’ category, the award went to Diedere Mostert from Berg-Op, after she scored 285 points.
Mostert’s scores made her the women’s national champion as her overall scores stood at 1116 and the men’s national champion Weakley scored 1144 points.
In an interview with Nampa on Saturday, Poenie Weakley, the chairperson of AGA in Namibia, said the nationals are the biggest archery championships in the country.
“This was an excellent competition. The event saw a lot of family members and athletes enjoying the competition, while at the same time spending family time,” he said, adding that this is the best sport in the country as archers compete against themselves and it requires a lot of concentration.
Weakley also called on the corporate world to come on board and grow the sport, which teaches athletes patience and concentration.
National champion, Burton Weakley, told this agency that his goal is to one day win international accolades for his country.
“I have been shooting for the last four years and I want to represent Namibia at the Africa championships, world championships and the Olympics, where I would want to compete for medals. At the moment, however, I will take it one step at a time,” he said.
Meanwhile, Marionette de Waal, who won 13 medals in the female category, said she was happy to be selected for the national team that will represent the country at the African championships.