As Kenyans, we take pride in our fame as the home of champions – around the world the Kenyan flag is often held high at athletic events. Our sports ambassadors build our national identity and amongst them we find Shezhana Anwar, who took on an unorthodox sporting activity – archery and in doing so, brought a new facet of Kenyan sporting talent onto the global stage.
Brought up in a family of rally enthusiasts, sports has always been part and parcel of Shehzana’s daily life. She admired her family’s victories but in time she sought her own path. While a student at Oshwal Academy, Shehzana thrived in outdoor activities. Her tomboy nature allowed her to bring to the fore her feminist belief in women as a capable figure in sports as she participated in over six sporting activities. Unlike most girls her age, her passion was already leaning towards an athletic career and by the time Shehzana joined university, she had found her home – archery.
Like any other sport, becoming a skilled archer requires unending practice – real blood, sweat and tears. There is no shortcut in the world of competitive sports but encouragement from family and friends aided her persevering spirit. In 2005, she participated in her first international archery competition held in Germany, and despite her unfamiliarity with global competitions she excelled. Shehzana came out on top – attaining a higher overall score than the archers in the men’s category.
In 2016, at the eleventh African Archery Championship, Shehzana earned and secured her golden ticket to the Olympics. On August 6th 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she proudly led the Kenyan Olympic team into the Maracana Stadium. Shezhana walked tall, waving our flag while the world got to know her as Kenya’s first female archer to qualify for the Olympics.
Her passion is archery and she has passed it on by starting an archery programme throughout various schools in Nairobi. Shehzana continues to participate in what she loves, spending time in her archery lessons for the National Archery Organization of Kenya. Her efforts are slowly but surely paying off.
We salute Shehzana Anwar’s attitude, confidence and perseverance – for raising the profile of new sports in Kenya and showing the world that in sports – Kenya slays all round!