Shehzana Anwar: transitioning from Olympian to coach

Shehzana Anwar became African Archery Champion in Windhoek early in 2016 and then, when she took to the field in Rio, became the third Kenyan archer at the Olympics, after Dominic John Rebelo and Jeniffer Mbuta.

In her Games match debut, Shehzana lost to London 2012 Olympic Champion Ki Bo Bae in the first round. She then took a two-months break to evaluate her life and opportunities in archery and outside of the sport. During this time, she participated in a Level 1 Coach Trainer Course held in Cairo, Egypt in November.

“I got a view of how I would like to develop archery in my country, since it’s not well known,” said Shehzana.

“There are currently only two qualified coaches in Kenya, so by taking this course, there’s a chance to have more coaches. Coupled with my experience as an archer, I think this will help the growth of my sport. Having more coaches will give the opportunity to open more training classes for archers."

Shehzana plans to find a balance between training as an athlete and spending time coaching in 2017.

The 10-day level 1 course included theoretical, technical and practical lessons. The evaluation process will consist of three tests over a period of up to one year.

Thanks to Khaled Sofiane Lamandé.