Elite archer Danelle Wentzel aims high
After breaking ground at home, South Africa's top female archer hopes to lift herself to new levels over the next few years as she attempts to leave her mark on the international circuit.
Danelle Wentzel is keeping her eye on the target as she climbs the global ladder. Picture: Reg Caldecott
Naturally attracted to the outdoors, Danelle Wentzel lists hiking and fishing among her hobbies, but her greatest passion was triggered in 2008 when her father gave her a bow for the first time.
The following year she participated in her first competition, at the age of 14, and she has never looked back.
Wentzel made her debut in the top-flight Archery World Cup series in 2012, when she was just 17, and she went on to earn two medals in the Indoor World Cup series in 2016.
Last year, however, she made her most significant breakthrough by winning the third leg of the more prestigious Outdoor World Cup series in Antalya, beating American opponent Alexis Ruiz 144-141 to take gold.
In the process, she made history by becoming the first South African woman to qualify for the World Cup Final, featuring only eight athletes in her category.
At the series finale in Moscow, Wentzel was edged out in a 142-145 defeat to Denmark’s Tanja Jensen in the opening round, and she settled for seventh position.
Looking back, she admits she was disappointed with the result, but it was also a big step forward in her career.
“The important thing is that I have learned a lot. I am now more motivated than ever,” Wentzel told TuksSport.
“The goal is clear. I am going to compete in the World Cup Final again. I know I am capable of getting a better result.”
Training with compound archers Patrick Roux, a multiple World Championships medallist, and Seppie Cilliers, who finished second at the 2016 World Cup Final, Wentzel has credited both men for assisting her in the early stages of her elite career.
With the help of a strong team which has formed around her, she was rewarded for her efforts earlier this month, climbing to 11th place in the compound women’s world rankings.
As the only African archer among the top 40 in her division, Wentzel has firmly established herself among the best on the continent.
And after completing a BA in sports management at the University of Pretoria last year, she enjoyed a short but successful stint in the United States where she competed on the local circuit.
Once coronavirus restrictions have been lifted, she hopes to settle down more permanently in the US.
“Archery is really a popular sport in the USA,” Wentzel says.
“Even in some of the smaller tournaments, you get to compete against
some of the world’s best archers. Some claim that it is more challenging to win a big competition in the USA than it is to win a World Cup event.”
With a degree under her belt, 25-year-old Wentzel is also eager to launch a sideline career, in order to ensure she can continue to carry the SA flag at the highest level.
“There is a good reason I studied what I did. Hopefully it will enable me to find work in the USA’s archery industry,” she says.
“I can help organise an event or to market it. If I do, I can keep on competing.”
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