22 March 2012 - Athlete of the Week: Rene Philippe KOUASSI (CIV)

Athlete of the week: Rene Philippe KOUASSI (CIV) Lausanne – 22 March 2012   The 31-year-old Rene KOUASSI was the surprise winner of the African Championships last week. His performance earned Ivory Coast a quota place to the London 2012 Olympic Games.  Coming from a country where archery is not a very popular sport, Rene KOUASSI was the surprise winner of the recent African Championships in the Recurve Men category.

Rene KOUASSI started archery three years ago after his doctor recommended archery as a means of rehabilitation after an accident. Since then, he has embraced the sport.

The African Championships was the second international competition in which he participated, the World Championships in Turin being the first. His personal best is 628 and his goal is to compete in the Olympics. A goal he is very likely to achieve soon, considering that his victory in Rabat earned his country a quota place to the London Olympic Games.

When asked how he felt about the tournament, KOUASSI said that there was a huge amount of pressure and equal amounts of adrenaline. “For Africa, this is a very well organized tournament and one of the best I have attended.”

“The atmosphere between the participants was one of a fair play experience which is very good and much fun”, he added.
  
Biography Extract:  Rene Philippe KOUASSI (CIV) – Born 14 December 1979  1st Individual African Championships Rabat
2012   Find more information on Rene KOUASSI (and all other archers) at the World Archery website.   World Archery Communication