Ouagadougou: Burkina Faso distinguished itself on Wednesday, September 9, on the annex field of the August 4 Stadium by sweeping all the gold medals in men's singles, women's singles, mixed doubles, and team events, ahead of Mali and Niger during the archery finals of the AES games, AIB observed on site.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the competition began with the women's singles, where Yri Janette Kambou of Burkina Faso defeated Ramatoulaye Traor of Mali over a distance of 15 meters. In the men's singles, contested over 25 meters, Kopouni Hien of Burkina Faso stole the show from his compatriot, winning against Ollo Kopot¨ Kambir.

The team finals took place in the morning where Burkina Faso also distinguished itself ahead of Mali and Niger, securing gold. Burkina Faso's coach, Som Si, expressed satisfaction with his archers' performance, praising the level of competition and the quality of the organization. He attributed Burkina Faso's success to the country's experience in traditional archery and acknowledged the fierce competition from the archers of the three AES countries.

Mamadou Boureima, the national coach of the Niger team, expressed delight at winning the silver medal in the team event despite limited preparation. He emphasized the need for better preparation by being informed in advance about the introduction of traditional archery, as they had been preparing for Olympic archery instead.

Kopouni Hien, the men's singles gold medalist, expressed pride in representing Burkina Faso and attributed his victory to hard work and training. He emphasized the importance of preserving traditional archery as part of Burkinab¨ identity and culture.

The Olympic archery competitions are set to take place this Thursday between these three countries. The second ESA Games will be held in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, from August 7 to 16, 2026.