The Harare Provincial Archery Championships came to a close this weekend (July 4th & 5th). It was a hot weekend of talent, fierce competition in many categories, and a good turnout from across Harare, and even an appearance from Bulawayo. Well done to all the archers for their dedicated focus and giving it their all on the line.
The weekend treated us to awesome, bright, and sunny weather that left quite a few participants with memorable sunburns. While Day 1 offered excellent shooting conditions, Day 2 tested everyone’s resolve with some seriously challenging wind.
A massive congratulations to all the participants, and a special shout-out to our podium finishers who took home the hardware!
Medal Standings
Genesis / Juniors & Novice
- 🥇 Gold: Amara Chikwanda
- 🥈 Silver: Lewis Bridges
- 🥉 Bronze: Adiwa Mapungwana
Senior & Junior Compound
- 🥇 Gold: Brody Gillott
- 🥈 Silver: Jesse Steele
- 🥉 Bronze: Jonathan Howard
Senior & Junior Recurve & Barebow
- 🥇 Gold: Thando Chikadya
- 🥈 Silver: Matthew Gratwicke
- 🥉 Bronze: Clinton Mudende
Qualification Round Highlights
The qualification rounds gave us an excellent look at who was striking form early. Based on the official individual ranking lists, here are the top performers from each major discipline across the 36-arrow and 72-arrow sessions:
Day 1 Qualification Leaders (After 72 Arrows)
- Genesis: Amara Chikwanda (Arundel School) stayed strong to finish the 72-arrow qualification round with a leading 498. Naomi Chitete (Harare Archery Club) secured the top spots for the Under 15s with a 456 total.
- Recurve: Matthew Gratwicke (Harare Archery Club) pushed through his 70m rounds to finish as the top Under 21 seed with a total score of 517. Busisiwe Rejoice Ndlovu (Arundel School) showed great consistency, finishing her 72-arrow qualification round with a total of 468.
- Compound: In a razor-thin battle, Jesse Steele (Harare Archery Club) surged ahead to secure the top seed spot with a total score of 661, beating out Brody Gillott (Bulawayo Archery Club) by just a single point (660). Iona Bartosz (Harare Archery Club) completed her qualification rounds at the top of her division with a 607. Elizabeth Whitaker (X10 Archery Club) pushed through some challenging shoulder pain to lock in a strong total score of 530.
- Barebow: Clinton Mudende (Harare Archery Club) held his position firmly at the top of the Men’s rankings, locking in a total score of 549. Meanwhile, Lewis Bridges (Harare Homeschool) put on a stellar performance to finish his 72-arrow round with an impressive 496.
Day 2 Qualification Leaders (After 36 Arrows)
- Genesis: Amara Chikwanda led the Under 18 division with a score of 278, while Naomi Chitete topped the Under 15 line with 245.
- Recurve: Matthew Gratwicke led the Under 21 Men’s field with 247 points. Busisiwe Rejoice Ndlovu led the Under 18 Women’s 60m division on her home field with a 207.
- Compound: Brody Gillott narrowly topped the Men’s charts with an impressive 332, just ahead of Jesse Steele’s 329. Iona Bartosz (Harare Archery Club) set the pace for the 50+ Women with a 310. Elizabeth Whitaker topped the Under 21 Women’s line, holding the flag high for X10 with an opening score of 291.
- Barebow: Clinton Mudende anchored the Men’s division with a score of 277, while young Lewis Bridges dominated the Under 15 field at 10m with 177.
Some words from the line…
“The recent Harare Provincial Tournament was a fantastic experience. Shooting under the clear Zimbabwean sky brought a fresh level of energy to the line after shooting abroad for eight months.
The competition was really impressive in all the shooting categories which was a testament to the dedication and commitment to practice and self improvement from the archers. Across the province and other provinces, archers brought their A-game, but myself and our team held our own on the targets. It was especially nice to see how many people came to watch the event which was a good sign that more people are realising that archery is actually a fun sport.
The camaraderie at the event with the archers, spectators and judges was the true highlight of the weekend. A massive thank you to the organisers for running such a wonderful event.”
From Clinton Mudende, Barebow archer
” I would like to thank all the participants who took part in the 2026 Harare Provincial Championships, without your participation, there would not have been a tournament.
Special thanks goes to Arundel School for allowing us to use their school grounds for the tournament. It was a lovely venue and made the tournament even better.Thank you to the events planning team led by SG Baz, for all the hard work behind the scenes to make this event a success.
Thank you to all the judges for availing yourselves to ensure the highest standards of archery.
Thank you to all the parents and cheerleaders who were present during the tournament.
It was a lovely weekend of shooting with a great turnout.
Congratulations to all the winners and see you all at the Nationals. 🏹 “From the ZAA President, Felistas Chikadaya
A BIG thanks to the support and working staff
An event of this scale doesn’t happen without an incredible support network. The Zimbabwe Archery Association would like to extend its deepest gratitude to everyone who made this weekend a success:
- Our Hosts: A massive thank you to Arundel School for generously providing their beautiful grounds, as well as their invaluable help with painting the shooting lines, and setting up chairs and tents.
- The Officiating Team: Keeping the line safe and fair is a massive job. Thank you to our National Judges (Vic and Trent), Club Judge (Dylan), and our hard-working Trainee Judges (Isabell, David, Gilbert, Tendai, Queenie, Lizzy, Brody, Jessie, and Felistas).
- The Traveling Clubs & Schools: Thank you to the archers, coaches, and supporters from HAC, X10, Bulawayo, Arundel School, Chisipete Senior School, and Harare Home School. Having Bulawayo travel up truly made this a national celebration of the sport!
- Logistics & Transport: A special thank you to Wayne Whitaker for safely transporting the heavy targets to and from the venue.
- Behind the Scenes: The event ran like clockwork thanks to the tireless efforts of our background organizing team: Iona, Baz, Sandai, Mac, Donna, Queenie, Shania for all the printing, and Dylan for the trophies!
- Fuel for the Day: Shouting out the Food Truck crew, Marney’s Kitchen for keeping our archers and spectators well-fed throughout the weekend!
Want to look over the exact point breakdowns? The complete official results sheets from the weekend are available online on ianseo:
