Uganda scoops two gold medals at African Archery Championships
Making his continental debut, Asiimwe produced a stunning upset by defeating tournament favourite Izri Abdelkader of hosts Algeria, who entered the competition ranked 29th in the world. The closely contested final ended 6-5 after a dramatic shoot-off.
Uganda's Precious Allan Asiimwe aiming to shoot during the final game. (Courtesy photo)
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Uganda delivered a historic performance at the 15th African Archery Championships in Oran, Algeria, returning home with two gold medals in a breakthrough achievement for the country's growing archery programme.
The star of the tournament was Precious Allan Asiimwe, who etched his name into Uganda's sporting history by winning the nation's first-ever gold medal at the African Archery Championships in the men's para recurve individual event. Asiimwe later teamed up with Bashir Mutyaba to secure a second gold in the men's para recurve doubles, capping a memorable campaign for Team Uganda.
Making his continental debut, Asiimwe produced a stunning upset by defeating tournament favourite Izri Abdelkader of hosts Algeria, who entered the competition ranked 29th in the world. The closely contested final ended 6-5 after a dramatic shoot-off.
The gold medal contest, played over a maximum of six sets, remained deadlocked after both archers won three sets each, forcing a decisive shoot-off. Roared on by the home crowd, Abdelkader shot first and scored eight points. Asiimwe responded with remarkable composure, firing a nine to clinch the title and complete one of the tournament's biggest surprises.
Despite missing out on an individual medal after suffering equipment failure, which saw him finish fourth, Mutyaba bounced back to partner Asiimwe in the men's para recurve doubles, where the pair combined brilliantly to claim Uganda's second gold medal of the championships.
Team Uganda contingent carrying the Uganda flag. Seated is Precious Asiimwe. (Courtesy photo)
Uganda's third representative, Shiloh Kamukama Ayebare, finished 13th in the recurve under-18 category, gaining valuable international experience.
Uganda Archery vice president and team leader Sula Blick hailed the team's performance as a major milestone in the country's archery development.
"This championship has demonstrated that Uganda has the talent and potential to compete with the best archers on the continent and in the world. I'm extremely delighted with our performance as a team, and especially with Precious for winning gold and becoming the African champion," Blick said.
He added that the federation remains committed to identifying and nurturing more talent to strengthen Uganda's presence on the international stage.
"Our intention is to ensure Uganda has regular representation at both the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games," he added.
Following their historic success in Algeria, Team Uganda has now shifted its focus to preparations for the qualification campaign for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which gets underway next year.