Nigeria’s Archery Team Dominates at TIZOCATA Tournament in Abuja

Nigeria’s national archery team, known as The Flames, achieved a remarkable victory at the 15th TIZOCATA Open Archery Tournament held in Abuja from October 8 to 11, 2026. Competing against teams from several countries, including Algeria and Tunisia, Nigeria secured 34 out of 45 available medals, dominating the medal table with 13 golds.

Damilola B. Sholademi, the National Director Technical of the Nigeria Archery Federation, expressed pride in the team’s performance, highlighting that they reached the podium in all bow styles: recurve, compound, and barebow. Out of 36 Nigerian archers, 29 returned home with at least one medal. Côte d’Ivoire came in second with only two gold medals.

Sholademi emphasized that this success is not just a one-time achievement. He noted that the team’s strong performance builds on their earlier results from the African Archery Championships in Algeria, where they won a total of seven medals. He believes that the recent tournament reflects the hard work and training of the archers and coaches, marking a significant improvement in Nigeria’s archery capabilities.

Several individual archers stood out during the tournament. Tobi Bello excelled in the recurve category, winning gold after topping the qualification round. Na’allah Abdulhakeem, a newcomer to archery, won two gold medals in the compound category, showcasing the potential of young talent. Enyenihi Kachollom, a key figure in Nigeria’s archery revival, also won multiple golds and serves as an inspiration for women in the sport.

In the barebow category, Nigeria continued to shine, with Usman Abubakar and Dominion Makanjuola both winning gold medals. The tournament also featured a judge’s course, which trained new officials to improve the standards of officiating in the sport.

Looking ahead, Sholademi stated that the focus for 2027 will be on developing junior archers, especially in the Under 18 recurve class. He believes that nurturing young talent is essential for the future success of Nigerian archery, with promising young archers like Alexander Harry-Erin leading the way.