Eyeni is another defending champion from Abidjan, winning recurve men‘s gold on home turf.
“Yes, I won the gold medal in my home country. There was pressure from the country; everyone back home was counting on me, too. And by the grace of God, I pulled everything together, made it to the podium, and took first place.“ he said.
It’s been a tough season fror the 25-year-old, who regularly competes indoors at the Nimes tournament, like a few other Francophone African archers. “This year a lot of difficulties because there have been changes. And now, I’m approaching it with a different mindset. I’m trying to implement what my coach and I have put in place. But I’m positive. I’m going to see it through to the end.”
Eyeni will face a larger field in recurve men. “Everyone wants to be African champion. And also, there’s Algeria, which has prepared to host this competition. There’s Tunisia, and there’s Egypt too, which has made it this far. Last year, they weren’t there. A lot of teams have prepared.
“I’m going to try to put difficulties behind me, move forward, and defend my title.”
