Namibia Archery Federations (NAF) chairperson Poenie Weakley yesterday said preparations are at an advanced stage as the team gears up to compete in the much-anticipated African Genesis Archery Federation Tournament.
The event is slated for this weekend at Swakopmund Dome, and it will see top nations, such as South Africa, Canada, Zimbabwe and Botswana. The event will be held virtually and facilitated by the Archery governing body.
Namibia will send three teams, consisting of 16 archers, which, according to the chairperson, was fairly selected during their local tournaments held this year. He said the team consist of top archers who have accumulated enough points to make the final team.
“We have a team of 16 archers consisting of girls and boys, all experienced and some up and coming archers who have made their marks during our recent tournament held in Windhoek. We are banking on some of our top performers, such as Burton Weakley, who is one of the continent’s highly rated archers,” he said.
In terms of preparations, Weakley, who is also a former archer, said preparations are going well. He added archers would need to do final touches this week ahead of the much-anticipated event on Saturday.
“The team is in a good mood and spirit; all our participants are optimistic of the upcoming event and ready to battle it out against the world’s best. We have had a good training session for the past few months, and I can say that I am proud of what the team is showing in terms of commitment and the parents for their full supports; we are hoping we will go fight like warriors,” he said.
Meanwhile, the men’s team captain Burton Weakley, who has been crowned the continent’s number one junior archer on two occasions, said he is excited to compete in the tournament, as this will give him enough competition to test himself. He added he remains ready, as his preparations have been going well.
“I am happy for this upcoming tournament; we have prepared well enough locally and on the continental level. This is exciting for me personally because I will have to compete with the best archers in the world which will be good for my profile. I am hoping to add more medals to my impressive medal collections,” said an optimistic Weakley.
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