Kenyan archer Shehzana bows out

Shehzana Anwar

Shehzana Anwar, Kenya’s first woman to compete in archery at the Olympics, bowed out of the games on Monday with many lessons learned.

The Kenyan faced world number one Bobae Ki in the women’s Individual 32 Elimination, with the Korean emerging top after scoring 7-1.

It was, however, not a whitewash for the Kenyan and she will take heart in her performance as this was her debut in the Olympics and she also had a problem with her shoulder before making it to Brazil.

The Korean, who is also the Olympics defending champion, won 26-24, 26-23, 26-26 and 27-26 to qualify for the next round while Anwar, who is known as Kuki by her fans, will be returning home happy that she competed against the best and was not overawed.

During the individual ranking competition last Friday, Kuki said she was just happy to be at the Olympics and her dream had come true when she was picked to carry Kenya’s flag at the opening ceremony.

“There is a lot of pressure playing against the best in the world and even more pressure when one is playing in  the Olympics for the first time. To be honest, I was overwhelmed by the occasion, but I am happy with myself,” she said.

She added that more needs to be done to help the sport grow in Kenya so that many youngsters can develop an interest and start playing from an early age. Kuki was being coached by her mother, Tabassum, at the Olympics.

“I am impressed with the way she has handled the pressure and the Olympics was a learning experience for her,” Tabassum said of her daughter.

Kuki qualified for the Olympics in February after finishing at the top during the Africa qualifiers in Namibia.

During the qualifiers, she was ranked fifth before shocking other good players at the Africa meet. She also represented Kenya at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India.