Taking aim in Cape Town, eyeing Paris
• Archer Potgieter has secured a slot for SA at the 2024 Olympics
Almost 20 years ago a passionate online computer gamer was engrossed by an archer character in the World of Warcraft computer game.
In Tunisia in November, that same person, Cape Town archer Werner Potgieter, stepped up to the line and provisionally secured an archery slot for SA at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The complicated nature of archery qualification for the Olympics may yet mean that Potgieter may still not get to Paris, but for now he is the man of the moment. More about the qualification process later.
He turned 46 earlier in December and being able to secure SA’s first slot at an Olympic Games since fellow Capetonian Karen Hultzer in London in 2012, meant Christmas came early for Potgieter.
Like most children, he dabbled in many sports at school. “I did karate, rugby, cricket, hockey, badminton and tennis — I think I loved hockey the most.
“But I’ve always had some sort of interest in archery since I was a kid and can remember shooting those toy bows with the suction-cap arrows all over the windows and sliding doors of our house, driving my mom mad!
“I’ve kept on with the martial arts because I’ve found that gives a person a good physical and mental attitude.
“In World of Warcraft I always selected the hunter as his primary weapon was a bow and he had a little pet at his side. I love bows and arrows and animals as well, so to me, that was the most natural character to choose.”
It was about 2008 that Potgieter took the plunge and bought his first real bow and started practising at the local Proteas Archery Club in Retreat, Cape Town.
“I first bought a wooden bow and then a recurve bow. I can remember the recurve arrived on Thursday and I went’ to the range on Friday. hadnt even tuned the bow properly. Some people at the club said there was a competition at the weekend and I should just come and shoot. It turned out to be national indoor champs and I surprised myself by winning a medal — I can’t remember if it was silver or bronze!”
He carried on with archery for another two years before picking up the first of two injuries that set him back for lengthy periods, the first purely by accident, the second shooting-related.
“In between all of this I was also doing some IPC practical pistol shooting but was yearning for archery.”
He returned to the range in about 2016, this time at Bellville Archery Club as it was closer to home, and it wasn’t long before he ended up winning nationals in 2017 and the next year as well. Then he was injured again, and Covid-19 put a stop to all sports for a lengthy spell.
“I had a few personal issues in 2021 that kept me from making a return but in September last year I got my new recurve bow and made the national team in December and then my Protea colours.
“My first international event was in Antalya, Turkey, in April this year and I learnt so, so much from that experience. I ended up 65th out of 130 odd which wasn’t bad and then it was on to the African Championships in November this year.”
The new recurve bow Potgieter talks about doesn’t come cheap. “My bow, with the set-up I have, costs about R60,000 and the arrows each cost about R1,100 and I have 24. So for an archer without sponsors, like me, it’s not a cheap sport.”
In this regard, Potgieter has high praise for the No 1 woman in his life. “My wife, Andreea is 100% supportive of my archery career and understands that you have to devote almost your entire life to it.”
To this end, Potgieter, an impressive physical specimen at 1.86m tall and weighing in at 90kg, practices at least five times a week. “I’ll shoot between 150-300 arrows a day in practice.”
Talking about Tunisia and Potgieter says his first goal was to shoot a high enough score in case the country got an Olympic slot. “My goal on the first day was to just shoot a minimum of 640 and then the goal was to get into the gold-medal match in the men’s individual category because first and second get an automatic slot.”
Potgieter ended up scoring 652 in the seeding round and also progressed to the goldmedal match where he won silver.
“During the competition we were told that the individual slot was definitely SA’s as Egypt’s mixed team had secured a team slot, meaning the individual slot went to us.”
But“he says that slot comes at a cost. I was drained emotionally and physically as it’s truly nerve-racking trying to secure an Olympic slot for your country. It was surreal, a wonderful feeling, but now I must keep on practising. The guy that won deserved his gold, what I took out of winning silver was that you learn more from your failures than your successes. The big goal was Olympics but that’s not the final goal.”
Potgieter also praised the management team who had his back in Tunisia. “Barbara Manning [long-serving SA National Archery Association secretary] and Patrick Roux [president] were absolutely amazing and made sure I never wanted for anything.”
Much of the country now goes into holiday mode, but not Potgieter.
“I’ll still be practising and come January 2 then it’s fullblast, practising and tournaments. Nationals are in March and then there’s another international tournament in Turkey again in early June.
“Hopefully I get to go, the Olympics has been a dream for mine since I was a small boy, I just didn’t know which sport.”
Secretary Manning cast further light on the qualification process. “At this stage we have won that slot and that men’s recurve individual slot has been accepted by the SA’s umbrella sports body Sascoc.
“We also have to shoot a minimum qualifying score as set down by the world body by 30 June, but with Sascoc’s own deadlines that may have to be brought forward.”
“If no-one else shoots that qualifying score by the cut-off date then Werner will go, as he has met the criteria.
“But if someone else on our Olympic squad shoots the qualifying score by the cut off date then trials will be held to select the archer that will go.
“There’s also a chance we may qualify a men’s team in Turkey and if we manage that, then the individual slot would be replaced by the team slot and he would in all likelihood be part of the three-member team.”