Devanique eyes top 10 finish
Local archer says she wants to finish in the top half of the world indoor champs which starts later this month.
THE release of ‘The Hunger Games’ movies has led to an upsurge of youngsters signing up for archery classes worldwide. What’s more, the bow-wielding heroine and protagonist Katniss Everdeen has resonated with youngsters because of her cool persona and the fact that she could shoot an apple out of a pig’s mouth (you have to watch the movie to see what I mean).
However, Katniss is a character of fiction, and Sunningdale has its own bow-wielding heroine in Devanique Rossouw who can repeatedly hit the bulls eye on a target almost 50 metres away.
The Port Natal Grade 10 pupil recently represented South Africa at the World Compound Archery Youth Championships in Wuxi, China.
Devanique finished a creditable ninth losing out in the quarter finals to USA’s Sonia Taniguchi (Taniguchi made it to the final and finished in second).
“China was amazing, maybe not the food, but it was certainly an eye opener in terms of where I need to be competitively. When I was placed in the same knock out heat as Sonia, I was a little nervous because I knew she is considered one of the best. I was ahead in the first two rounds and then we drew in the third, from that point on I just lost my concentration.
“It was my first international competition and I was stoked to end up in the top 10,” she said.
Devanique, a three time national winner (two indoor titles and one outdoor title) has now set her sights on her first World Indoor Championships in Nimes, France.
“It’s a totally different ballgame when it comes to indoor events. There are no external factors like the weather or wind, the targets are closer which means your concentration has to be spot on.
“My aim is to finish in the top 10. My preparation has gone well and I’ve trained really hard this year so far and I’m confident I can reach my goal,” she said.
