DANYA Thompson was recently crowned the world champion in her age group at the International Field Archery Association (IFAA) World Indoor Archery Championships (WIAC) in Santa Clara Del Mar, Argentina.

The international competition saw more than 250 archers from countries around the world compete in different categories.

Despite being the youngest competitor in the Young Adult Female Freestyle Unlimited (YAFFU) category (U21), the Reddam House Umhlanga Grade 11 learner still triumphed.

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She was part of a team of 12 South African archers competing at the event.

“It is always an honour to represent my country and it was exciting being a part of the world champs. This was my third WIAC and I’ve won gold in the U12 in 2019 in New Zealand and then bronze in 2023 in London. I can’t quite describe how I’m feeling but I know I want to keep excelling in the sport and representing South Africa,” the 17-year-old explained.

Her love for the sport started at the age of five after her parents introduced her to it.

“I was wide-eyed and just loved being around the range. My parents say I wanted to shoot at the age of five and then a year later they bought me my first bow. A few months later I was competing at my first nationals,” she said.

Danya, a member of the Archer Archery Club and the Kings Park Archery Club, said she owes a large part of her success in the sport to the love and support from her parents, Neil and Jeanne.

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“They were members of the Kings Park Archery Club and it was because of them I started archery. I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without them. I don’t think words could sum up how much their love and support has meant to me. They have always been there for me,” she said.

Her future aspirations are to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

While she prefers indoor archery, Danya said her focus would shift from next year to outdoor archery with an eye on qualifying for the SA team.

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