Namibia makes clean sweep at archery games

The men’s and women’s archery teams swept the floor with their adversaries at the 2012 African Archery Championships in Morroco on Friday last week by winning the individual male and female gold medals as well as the male team gold medal.
Francois Marais, Louw Nel and Lesley Page in the men’s team and Beanta Viviers, Iroleen von Litzenborg-Page and Beatrix van der Merwe in the women’s team, became national heroes by winning all but two of the eight items they entered over three separate championships.
This makes the Namibian teams the reigning African Continental Champions, with the women’s team also winning the African Commonwealth as well as the African Open Archery championships.
The championship comprised three different divisions; the African Open Archery Championship, the African Commonwealth competition and the African Continental Championship.
Namibia’s dominance in all three competitions is illustrated by the fact that only one other competitor, Petrus Marx of South Africa, managed to take a gold medal in the men compound item.
Last week Friday, was a highlight for all African archers, as the team and individual champions were determined by one-on-one matches, with only the winner of each round proceeding to the next round. Again this was a most successful day for Namibia, even more so since for the first time a Namibian archer, Francois Marais, significantly beat the South African first ranked compound archer to become the African Continental Champion for 2012, and will remain so until the next competition in 2014.
The Namibian score of 225 points against Morocco, is the new official Africa Record for the Men Compound Division.
Petrus Marx from South Africa shot a new record score in the compound round (685). He also shot a new record in the compound elimination round (147 out of possible 150). Iroleen von Litzenborg-Page shot a new Africa record in the compound round for women (650) She also shot a new Africa record in the compound elimination round (136).
Frank Bockmuhl, president of Namibian Archery, said: “Over all, this team was the most successful archery team from Namibia ever competing on continental level. With 17 medals and several African Continental Archery Records, the results again prove that consistent activity on the national level eventually lead to desired results. Congratulations to all the archers and their coach, Marja Woortman. You did us all proud, when you received your medals under our national flag and to the sound of the national anthem.”