By winning three gold medals at the African Championships hosted at Tuks, Christian de Klerk proved that a good archer is known not by his arrows but by his aim.

The Tuks BA Law student won gold in the men’s compound competition. He also teamed up with his dad, Beyers, and Tuks teammate Richard Anderson to win the men’s team competition. De Klerk was also victorious in the mixed-team competition.

De Klerk readily admits that being utterly focused over four days to not miss the bull took its toll.

“I can’t remember when last I felt this tired. One’s body certainly takes strain being so utterly focused. When shooting a lousy arrow during a competition, the whole thing is to forget about it. It can’t be undone. Only one thing matters. That is to make sure the next arrow hits the bull,” the young archer said the day after the Champs.

According to De Klerk he expected to win three gold medals.

“There are times you know that all the hard work and long hours will pay dividends. The African Champs was one such moment. The important thing was to keep things simple. From the first arrow, I told myself it was just another tournament. I did nothing different from what I would do at any other local tournament,” he explained.

This approach has led to De Klerk having an outstanding season. He has also won gold at the African Field Archery Champion and is South Africa’s indoor compound champion.

One of the most memorable moments was teaming up with his dad to win the team competition during the African Champs.

“It has always been a dream to compete with my dad at a major tournament. Especially since it is my dad who got me interested in the sport. He used to own an archery sports shop. I became curious when he brought a bow home,” he remarked.

But even after he started shooting, rugby remained his first love.

“I would have continued playing if I had not injured my knee at high school. To my surprise, my dad entered me to compete in a national archery tournament. I had no time to prepare as it was two days before the championships were bound to start. I won. That clinched it for me. I have never stopped shooting,” he said with a smile.

One can’t help but wonder who would win during a dad-and-son shootout.

“My dad always says he loves competing against me because he does not care whether he wins or loose. So, for him, there is no rivalry. For me winning is everything. I hate to lose. So, I pressure myself to be at my best every time I compete. To my credit, I can say the last time my dad was able to beat me was last year,” was De Klerk’s answer to this difficult question.

According to De Klerk, his big goal next year will be to try and get a top-ten finish in an international competition. But he admits that doing so would mean he needs to be at his best.

Tuks’s archers made a near-clean sweep during the African Championships, winning no less than five gold medals. Wian Roux won the men’s recurve competition by outshooting Eyeni Frank (Cote d Ivoire) in the final. He was also part of the South African men’s team that won gold.

The men’s compound final was an all-Tuks affair. De Klerk faced off against Richard Anderson.

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