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 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.
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.”
The Nigeria Archery Federation (NAFED) Technical Director attributed the success to years of preparation, resilience and collaboration, highlighting the role of the ARCH Archery Club and Shooters’ Archery Club in developing military personnel who now compete for the Defence Archery team. “We had trained them years before, and we have an excellent relationship with them.”
Damilola Sholademi
Based in the United States, Sholademi is currently pursuing a Level 3 national coaching certification while volunteering his time to teach archery.
His journey to the podium, however, was far from straightforward.
According to Sholademi, his competition equipment disappeared during transit and could not be traced by airport authorities until after the championships. Despite travelling across three cities and enduring a 13-hour road journey, he still competed and helped Nigeria win silver before later being asked to return to collect the recovered equipment.
Rather than dwell on the setback, he said he remained focused on the team’s objective. “I didn’t let it get to me, despite the physical and emotional trauma. I had to keep my gaze on what was at stake. And as the Team Manager, I couldn’t afford to show that my resolve was broken; I had to show strength and courage.”
Forced to compete with borrowed equipment, Sholademi described the experience as one of the toughest of his career. “Borrowing a compound bow that you’re unfamiliar with a few minutes before shooting is like jumping out of an aeroplane without a parachute. While I didn’t break my personal record, my silver medal reminded me that it’s not the bow that makes the archer; rather, it’s having the heart of an archer.”
Nigeria was represented by an 18-athlete delegation that included Aliyu Abubakar, president of Shooters’ Archery Club and a national team coach; Kachollom Enyenihi of ARCH Archery Club, who competed in the women’s compound event and serves as NAFED’s Director of Women Development; and Emmanuel Oyeleke, founder of Zen Archery Club, the federation’s Director of Marketing and a silver medallist in the men’s compound team event.
The championships, held from 21 to 26 July, attracted 138 archers from 18 countries under the auspices of World Archery Africa (WAAf).
Following their breakthrough performance in Oran, the Nigerian national archery team will now compete under a new identity—The Flames.
