From basics to gold: African barebow champion Gloria Kitali’s journey

As is the case for many archers around the world, starting out in barebow is common.

As the name suggests, it is one of the simplest forms of archery and the rawest of modern bow set-ups.

A riser, upper and lower limbs, a weight, a bowstring, nocking points and arrows. No pulleys, peeps, sights or stabilisers.

Abidjan 2025 African barebow champion Gloria Kitali was one of the many who, once comfortable with the basic technical aspects of the sport, added the required elements to become a recurve archer, such as a sight and stabilisers.

“At some point I realised it [barebow] wasn’t doing too well, so I went to recurve for a bit, then got my current bow – the beautiful pink one,” said Kitali.

“The stabiliser was really heavy because I was changing from wood to metal. I was encouraged to try barebow because not many people were following it.”

“I realised recurve has so much more to it – so many rules and steps – and I thought, I’m already doing barebow, I might as well stick with it.”

Moving from barebow to recurve and then back again may seem like a familiar process for a beginner trying to find the most comfortable shooting style, but Kitali’s decision to return to barebow has paid dividends.

The 26-year-old Kenyan won the inaugural African Championships barebow women’s title in Abidjan as the only non-Ivorian competing in the event.

Top seed on 455 points, she defeated Grace Erica Teki and Marie Ange Nomel in straight sets to seal her name in African archery history.

It was Kenya’s only gold medal of the competition, and Kitali also claimed silver as part of the nation’s barebow mixed team alongside Roy Ncheeri – although only Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire competed in the discipline.

Travelling to Abidjan in November was also Kitali’s first trip outside Kenya. Upon her return, she undertook a series of interviews with local media before speaking to World Archery.

“It was really just training more and a lot of encouragement from people to actually try it [barebow] out,” she explained when asked why she decided to compete in Abidjan. “Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to perform so well because I only started last year in March. I didn’t really lose anything by challenging myself.”

“I’m just really happy that archery is getting more media time in Kenya because it’s not very well known as a sport, and that it’s actually possible for people to just come and shoot.”

The introduction of a barebow category at the African Championships adds a layer of uniqueness to the competition.

The African and Pan American Championships are the only major outdoor international target events to include barebow, with the Asian, European, Oceanic and World Championships featuring compound and recurve only.

Beyond increasing participation, Kitali – an engineering specialist in her day job – believes barebow’s visual simplicity has helped it gain popularity in Africa compared to other regions.

“In Africa, the image of barebow is more familiar than recurve, which looks sort of alien,” she explained. “If someone is starting out and sees all the equipment, they might not bother, but when they see barebow, they think, ‘Okay, I can handle that.’ That’s why I think it’s more popular.”

Although the rawest of modern bow set-ups, barebow still has its own intricacies to master, from different drawing techniques to the challenge of aiming without a sight.

You could say Kitali went back to basics – but those basics have changed her life in ways that go far beyond becoming an African Champion.

She now has a hobby she thoroughly enjoys, having first been interested in archery in 2016, when she asked her grandmother to make her a “rudimentary bow”. The sport has helped break up her work-home-sleep routine and gave her the opportunity to travel abroad for the first time.

Although recurve is not forgotten, a future return to the Olympic discipline is not yet certain.

“I want to stick with barebow for now and improve on the basics, get those nailed down before switching,” she said.

The progress Gloria Kitali has made on the shooting line over the past year has been remarkable.

From a newcomer to the sport to Kenya – and Africa’s – leading barebow women archer in a matter of months, her journey is only just beginning.

And while her focus remains on barebow, her talent suggests that a swift transition back to recurve could yet be on the cards.