Archery Association of Namibia (AAN) president Jannie Meuwesen stole the spotlight over the weekend by setting a new Namibian record of 707 out of 720.
Consequently, he secured a spot in the national team for the upcoming 76th SA National Championships and Regional Championships in Johannesburg at the end of March.
Meuwesen achieved the world-class score on Sunday during a Target Archery Competition hosted by the Windhoek Archery Club at the Yellowstone Trails field on 7 and 8 February.
In a statement, AAN said the event served as preparation for the South African championships and attracted archers from Atlantis Archery Club (Walvis Bay), Swakopmund Archery Club and the Windhoek Archery Club.
“The two-day competition tested both accuracy and endurance, with archers shooting two WA 720 rounds on Saturday and one WA 720 on Sunday. Each WA 720 consists of 72 scoring arrows, with a maximum of 10 points per arrow. In total, each archer shot 216 arrows over the weekend at a distance of 50 metres, the official World Archery target distance. Archers in the U15 division competed at 40 metres and delivered impressive performances,” read the statement.
The statement further said that despite challenging weather conditions on Saturday, including strong winds and intermittent rain, competitors embraced the elements as ideal preparation for possible adverse conditions in Johannesburg next month.
AAN extended its appreciation to Anri Parker from the Namibian National Olympic Committee, who visited the archers during Saturday’s competition.
The next opportunity for archers to qualify for national colours will take place in Swakopmund on 14 to 15 February at the Swakopmund Archery Club range at SFC.