It was a day of double delight for host nation Côte d’Ivoire as they claimed both recurve men’s and women’s individual gold medals at the Abidjan 2025 African Archery Championships.
Following the morning team finals – where the Ivorians also secured gold in recurve women, recurve under-18 men and barebow mixed team categories – Pretoria 2022 African Champion Anne-Marie Yedagne entered the recurve women’s final backed by a vociferous crowd, though perhaps the underdog based on qualifications.
The 22-year-old had posted a surprising 579 in Friday’s qualification round, leaving her seeded seventh, while her opponent, 18-year-old Roua Ben Abdelkader, had claimed top seed with a 610.
Could Yedagne repeat her teenage triumph from Pretoria? She certainly did.
Her shooting was not flawless, but Ben Abdelkader’s nerves appeared to hinder her throughout. In the opening set, Yedagne scored 25, while her opponent struggled with 20. After a quick discussion with her coach and an adjustment to her sight, the Tunisian improved, scoring 27, 26, 24, 29 in the following four sets.
With Yedagne leading 5-3 into the fifth set, her 24 points forced a shoot-off – the sixth of the day at Stade Robert Champroux de Marcory.
In the decisive moment, Ben Abdelkader dropped a left eight, while Yedagne landed a nine, prompting raucous celebrations from the Ivorian crowd and teammates. Overcome with emotion, Yedagne wiped away tears, finally experiencing the joy of winning at home.
