Mauritius men win first African recurve team gold in Abidjan
Mauritius’ recurve men made history on Sunday, claiming the nation’s first-ever African recurve team gold at the Abidjan 2025 African Archery Championships.
The last time the island nation – home to just over a million people – appeared on a recurve podium at the continental event was Cairo 2008, when Veronique Le Vieux took bronze in the women’s individual and Jean Marie Cliff Babet did the same in the men’s individual.
Seventeen years later, and thousands of kilometres southwest of Egypt, Ryan Chan Yam, Nareshwarnathsing Nekitsing and Aidan William Shiu Fook Sie finally broke the hoodoo in intensely humid conditions in Abidjan.
It was far from easy, but the hardship of the matches almost made it feel like a quest of destiny for this Mauritian team.
Before the gold medal match at Stade Robert Champroux de Marcory, the trio had to overcome second-seeded Algeria in a tense shoot-off, echoing the scoreline they had suffered against the same opponents in the Nabeul 2023 semifinals.
Securing their country’s first recurve African medal already was not enough. In the final, they faced the host nation, Côte d’Ivoire, and again prevailed after a tie-break.
The achievement is all the more remarkable given the intensity of the home crowd, whose pro-Ivorian cheers were among the loudest at the championships.
Shiu Fook Sien, only 17, narrowly landed his second arrow of the shoot-off on the six-line, but Franck Eyeni, Landry Damité Tamini and Aka Jean Jacques Rabi Atcho were unable to capitalise.
Tamini’s six tied the first set 49-49, with the second and third ends shared between the teams – Mauritius winning the second, Côte d’Ivoire the third – before a 51-51 fourth end tied proceedings.
In the sudden death, Atcho’s low five proved costly. Mauritius, keeping their composure under the bright Ivorian sun, shot nine, nine and eight to claim historic gold.
In a gesture of sportsmanship, Eyeni personally congratulated the Mauritian team after Sien’s winning arrow, presenting each archer with a gift.
Côte d’Ivoire still enjoyed a fine day in the team finals, taking gold in the recurve women, recurve under-18 men and barebow mixed team events, alongside silvers in recurve men, recurve under-18 women and recurve under-18 mixed, giving them six team podiums overall in Abidjan.
Winners: 2025 African Championships
Full results on the event page.
- Recurve men’s team: Mauritius (Ryan Chan Yam, Nareshwarnathsing Nekitsing, Aidan William Shiu Fook Sie)
- Recurve women’s team: Côte d’Ivoire (Fatou Gbane, Ekpobi Anne-Marie Eléonord Yedagne, Prisca Kossia)
- Recurve mixed: Algeria (Rania Hachani, Yacine Imloul)
- Compound men’s team: Mauritius Henri How Kemg Fat, Adrien Charoux, Jacques Hok Liong Haw Fan Lun)
- Barebow mixed team: Côte d’Ivoire (Riké Cédric Idriss Rubinel Obo, N’guessan Marie Ange Nomel)
