Abidjan 2025: Three to watch at the African Archery Championships
The 14th edition of the African Archery Championships will start this week in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The last championships took place in Nabeul, Tunisia, in 2023, where much of the attention centred on the qualification spots available for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
South Africa is traditionally strong in compound but is sending only recurve and barebow archers to this competition, including Werner Potgieter, the silver medallist in Nabeul, and Connor Young, who shot at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games this summer.
Egypt is another strong recurve nation, having won both individual titles – and an Olympic place – in Nabeul. Neither Youssof Tolba nor Jana Ali, both Paris 2024 competitors, will return to defend their titles. Instead, Egypt is sending a squad of younger recurvers in preparation for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
Competition at the 2025 African Archery Championships starts on Thursday. Live footage of the finals will be available on Sunday 23 November with a subscription to archery+.
3. Aliou Drame
Defending his title from Nabeul 2023 is Senegal’s Aliou Drame, competing in compound men’s open event.
Drame took up archery in 2012 after his wife’s family encouraged him, steadily improving until he made his international debut in 2023 with eyes on Paris – where the then 44-year-old competed for Senegal as one of just four athletes from the West African nation.
”These are my first Games; it was one of my dreams. I don’t think it will be my last,” Drame told the French press afterwards. “I’d like to go even further. I’ve had a taste of Paris. So, it’s not the time to stop or give up. I’m going to keep going strong.”
Now living in Lyon, France, he won a bronze medal at the indoor French national championships earlier this year, with the goal of reaching a a final next time out. In a tiny field, another gold in Abidjan seems reasonable.
Pic courtesy French Archery Federation.
2. Israel Madaye
The Chadian archer Israel Madaye is the highest-ranked recurve man coming into this championships – but in perhaps the most competitive field.
Madaye won a place to Paris 2024 at the Nabeul championships and carried the flag at the opening ceremony, alongside judoka Memneloum Demos.
He didn’t manage to make it past the first round in Paris but faced a memorable opponent: Kim Woojin.
“It was a huge achievement for me and my coach, and we really struggled without certain equipment and without suitable training conditions,” he told NBC News. “But we didn’t give up.”
Madaye is a resident archer at the World Archery Excellence Centre in Lausanne, one of several African archers developed in Switzerland in recent years. He may be challenged by some of the best youth archers, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him atop the podium in Abidjan.
1. Fatoumata Sylla
Guinea’s finest, Fatoumata Sylla is another Paris 2024 alumni, having received a universality place that made her the first ever archer from Guinea to compete at an Olympics. Uniquely, she carried the flag at both the opening and closing ceremonies, alongside swimmer Elhadj N’gnane Diallo and footballer Keita Naby, respectively.
Sylla’s Paris run also ended in the first round, defeated by Casey Kaufhold. But she had been building up international tournament experience since her debut in 2019. A fifth-place in Nabeul suggests she could improve this time around.
“Given the support I receive in Africa, I know that whatever the problem, I can overcome it,” she told the French press last year. “With their support, their calls, their little messages, their kind words for me, I know I can go far.”
“I don’t think about where the arrow will land, but rather about the technique, because if the technique is correct, the result will be good on the target. You relax and then concentrate on what you’re doing.”
Still only 23, her story has time to run. Her dream is to encourage Guinean women to take up archery – but is this the tournament where she finally takes a medal? It seems very likely.
