It would be unthinkable to leave out an archer from Côte d’Ivoire after such an unforgettable week.
Just like Yedagne had done before him on Sunday in recurve women, Eyeni rose to the occasion, delivering in front of fans and teammates — who were fantastic all competition for their support — and unlike Pretoria 2022, he repeated his compatriot’s success on stage.
The pair were so close to doing the double three years ago, but slightly short, Eyeni fell 4-6 to Wian Roux in the final, the South African then going on to compete in Paris 2024.
It was a future Olympian in front of him that day; on Sunday it was a tried and tested one in Hammed, who journeyed to Tokyo 2020.
With that experience, it’s a tougher test — at least on paper — however, there were no doubts in his ability since Pretoria. As top seed, Eyeni looked anything but panicked on the stage, putting together a convincing 6-2 victory.
His entries into the Indoor World Series, two World Cups [Antalya and Paris 2023], and the Berlin 2023 World Championships perhaps have something to do with that.
