Women turn focus on archery

By Usher Komugisha

CAST about in your memory what you know about archery and if you are thinking about hunting you have the clue about this game but if your mind has crossed to a ball game you need to read on.

For the last 16 years, Margaret Tumusiime has not just taken part in archery but has embraced it with a passion and it has sure rewarded her with a precious gift that no other black woman has ever enjoyed worldwide in archery.

With strong significance to hunting, this game has its origins in the grasslands of central Asia, on to Korea that has continuously produced Olympians and crossing over to Japan’s traditions of Kyujitsu and Kyudo.
Bound to re-write history, in 1994 Tumusiime started playing archery for fun with a Canadian friend, Keith Word who was in the country on a visit.

“Together with my sister and a friend, we picked interest in archery and he really helped teach us the basics of the game and he let us use his equipment,” she says excitedly.

With a rich history of more than 3,500 years and a population of two billion people, one would not be enticed to join such a sport that is a cult in China.

After a year, Tumusiime was left to adventure alone in this ‘new’ game after her sister Gertrude Mwera and friend Juliet Asasira quit unceremoniously.

“I was so determined to go ahead with this game and nothing was going to stand in my way.”

Good enough, the game was being revived by the Uganda Archery ederation in 1995 so she got an opportunity to hit the competitive level rather than playing it merere for fun.

She made her debut at the sixth edition of the All Africa Games in Harare, Zimbabwe in the same year though without much success.

In 1996, she represented the country again at the same event but this time in Malindi, a town on the Kenyan coast that is dominated by fishing and this is where she made a name that was to be revered across the continent later. She finally got her arch rivals under her arm finishing fourth out of the 24 ladies from all over the continent.

“I was always motivated to be the best especially after the Harare showpiece.”

Why would a 31-year-old mother opt to continue with a game that does not even have any hero to look up to in such hard times where equipment was so expensive? “My husband always gave me the necessary support that I needed and so did my entire family.” Margaret’s husband is the current federation’s secretary looking to preach the gospel about this game across the country.

Five years into the sport was enough time to release her into the skies for more success, and sure enough she did not disappoint.

Finishing seventh at the All Africa Championships in 1999 will always be the year of good memories because this automatically entered her in the Olympics bracket. That is the highest level of any athlete wishes for more so a Ugandan woman.

Matching with bows on her back was Tumusiime into the 2000 Sydney Olympics Archery Park ready to compete against the world’s best yet she knew it was not going to be easy.

“I changed the bow type three days to the event and this greatly affected me because it was heavy.”
Whatever the results, Tumusiime had made world history - the first black lady to compete at the Olympics in archery and as a result her portrait is hanged at the national museum of Uganda.

Being the only female at this level, she has since tried to spread the game around the country.

With more than a decade gone by, she is now looking at the bigger picture. She has since attended three coaches’ courses including one in Burkina Faso (2004) as well as Cairo qualifying as a level III coach.
Tumusiime completed as ninth at the continental qualifiers in 2008 in Cairo, Egypt and did not make it to the Beijing Olympics because only four players were considered.

To reach that level that Egypt, South Africa and Morocco are enjoying, it is not going to come on a silver plate but rather will take a lot of sacrifice.
As the current national coach, “I am mentoring girls at secondary school and university levels.”

As more equipment from Iran is expected, the game has also been introduced to Maryhill and Bweranyangi girls’ schools in western Uganda.

The equipment may be the hindrance in this case but Margaret insists that if one is interested in joining archery, “there are three clubs in Kampala at Butabika M2 sports club, Makerere and Kyambogo universities and the only requirement is a registration fee of sh25, 000.”

Centres have also been opened in Yumbe and Tororo for the development of the game around the country.

Already the U-18 national team is training for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, in October and will field at least two girls.

“This game teaches them to be patient and accurate in all their aspects of life.”
World over women are always far better than the men and such is the case in Uganda.