• Archery

AGA Namibia’s golden boy and girl eye Olympics

• 1 Month Ago 23 October 2024

Burton Weakley and Teresa Kasomba, two of Namibia’s brightest young archers, earned the titles of “golden boy” and “golden girl” by recently winning African Genesis Archery (AGA) Namibia’s national titles and have set their sights on competing in the Olympics.

The archers are aged 17 and hail from Windhoek High School and Community Hope School, respectively.

They dominated the archery scene this year and were crowned champions with 24 (Weakley) and 19 (Kasomba) gold medals, all leading up to AGA Namibia’s final ranking shoot of the year at Windhoek International School this coming Saturday.



Breaking 7-year-old record

Weakley, AGA Namibia’s top-ranked senior male archer and a three-time national champion, made headlines in July by breaking the long-standing 3D round record (294 hits) at Moria Private School with a remarkable score of 295 out of 300.

The previous record, set in Gobabis by Willem Lottering, had stood for seven years.

Weakley said: “Being crowned champion for the previous three and a half years feels amazing. I love competing against good archers, and when you come out on top, it just makes it so much better!”

His journey in archery began in 2018, thanks to his father’s encouragement. He admitted that he found archery a bit boring at first. Over time, realising the mental and physical challenges it presented to grow confidence and instil discipline, he eventually fell in love with the sport.

“I place my trust in God during competitions. I go into a moment of silence and feel His presence over me, calming me and making me ready to shoot. I learned so much from this sport and would recommend it to everyone!”

Weakley said his goals now transcend breaking national records, as he plans to represent Namibia at the Olympics.

“I'm still considering whether I should make archery a career, but for now, I’m loving every moment,” he assured.

Weakley finds motivation in his fellow competitors, noting competition in the country and in Africa is the reason he wants to win gold.

Outside of archery, he is passionate about hunting and other sports to bond with friends. But he also points out the importance of time management in chasing down personal goals.



Olympic dream

Meanwhile, AGA Namibia’s top-ranked senior female archer and two-time national champion, Kasomba started her archery journey in 2021, inspired by her love for Robin Hood.

However, it wasn’t until March 2022 that she truly fell in love with the sport.

“My coach, Andile Jaarsak, refused to let me give up. He was adamant that I could become really good if I give myself time. Watching him shoot, I was amazed at how every arrow hit the target. That’s when I knew dedication was key and I kept working hard to reach his level,” she recalled.

Winning 19 gold medals this year, Kasomba said she feels very happy and proud. “There are so many great archers I have to compete against and many times I felt I couldn’t do it, but I thank the Lord who was with me at every competition,” she said.



Hard work and passions

After some early disappointments, such as a competition at Pro-Ed in May where she only won two silver medals and a bronze, her determination drove her to work harder.

Balancing school and archery can be challenging for both athletes. Kasomba attends classes from Monday to Thursday, 2 PM to 4 PM, followed by an hour of training.

Kasomba loves chess and sketching and wants to pursue a career in architecture.

Competing at the Olympics one day is her dream, while she also aspires to become a coach in archery.

As for role models, Kasomba looks up to British archer Ella Gibson.

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