Local archer ranked as one of the world’s best
A promising young archer from Pretoria can't wait for the Covid-19 pandemic to come to an end, so she can compete in America again.
Keep calm shoot straight. This simple philosophy has helped Danelle Wentzel to establish herself as one of the world’s top female archers.
On the latest World Archery rankings that were released at the end of June, the Tuks archer ranks 11th in the compound category (50 metres). She firmly believes she can be better. That is why she has set her sights on going to the USA once the Covid-19 pandemic has subsided to such an extent that international travel becomes possible again.
Wentzel had competed in the USA earlier this year. A definite highlight was when she finished second during the American Midwest Indoor Tournament (20 metres).
According to her, the nice thing about being an archer in the USA is that you can compete nearly every week.
“Archery is really a popular sport in the USA. Even in some of the smaller tournaments, you get to compete against some of the world’s best archers. Some claim that it is sometimes more challenging to win a big competition in the USA than it is to win a World Cup-event,” she explained.
Alexis Ruiz (USA) is currently the world’s best female compound archer while Paige Pearce (USA) is ranked third.
“A unique aspect of my tour was that I had the opportunity to compete against men during the smaller tournaments. Ever so often, I was able to hold my own against them. It led to me getting quite a few top-three finishes, which were huge confidence boosters.
According to Wentzel, getting to compete against men forced her to change her mindset.
“Men usually believe they can’t miss. It is the opponent who is going to make a mistake. I wanted to prove them wrong. I realise now that when you can limit your mistakes, you will always have a real chance to win,” she remarked.
The Tuks Archer made South African sports history last year when she won the Hyundai Archery World Cup in Antalya. She is the first local archer to do so. It meant she qualified to compete in the World Cup finals in Moscow. Only the top eight men and women archers in each of the international categories were in action.
“If you had asked me straight after how I felt about my performance, I probably would have told you that I failed. When, however I thought things through afterwards I realised I had shot only two bad arrows during the first round. It was what prevented me from going through to the next round,” she said.
For Wentzel, the important thing is that she has learned a lot and now feels more motivated than ever. The goal is clear – she wants to compete in the final again. She believes that she is capable of getting a better result and that is why it is essential to base herself in the USA.
The young star archer completed her BA Sport and Leisure and Recreation Management studies at the end of last year.
“There is a good reason why I studied what I did. Hopefully, it will enable me to find work in the USA’s archery industry. I can help organise an event or to market it. If I do, I can keep on competing,” she concluded.
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