10 March 2010 - The battle for gold is on at the African Championships

The battle for gold is on at the African Championships Ain Sokhna (EGY) - 10 March 2010  In a battle for the title of Continental Champion, 9 African countries and five visiting countries are participating in Ain Sokhna, near Cairo, in the 8th Federation of African Archery Championships.     Even strong desert winds could not dampen the enthusiasm and excitement that surrounded the games as the eliminations began yesterday. During the third day of the tournament, competitors in all categories were systematically eliminated following the 720 round (standard round) to determine the ranking.   There were a number of highlights during the day. Excitement was high when a single arrow shoot-out determined the winner in the Recurve Women’s category between Morocco and Egypt. Egypt showed true sportsmanship when Morocco shot gold taking it to the next stage. It was clear that the training efforts of the Egyptian Federation had paid off, with Egyptian archers in the running for most medals. One surprise upset was when Mauritius beat South Africa in Recurve Women to proceed to the finals. As the eliminations progressed, countries unified to support the archers in what is the largest competition of its type yet to have taken place on the African continent.   The tournament continues today with the medal matches (team and individual) and closing with an informal mixed-team event. This event is designed to foster the spirit of unification and will include different countries as well as bow types, styles and divisions. In the compound division, South Africa will compete for gold against Namibia (men) and Egypt (women), while in recurve Egypt will compete against Mauritius (women) and Libya (men) for gold.     Please visit the website of the South African National Archery Association for more information and the results.   Selwyn MOSKOVITZ Edited by FITA Communication