The Tuks law student, Christian de Klerk, won South Africa's first medal at the FISU World University Games in Chengdu, China, by not missing many bulls with his bow. He finished second in the compound archery competition. He might be the first South African archer to medal at the World Student Games.

De Klerk had a brilliant competition. In the qualification rounds, he scored 692 out of a possible 720. It was the third-best in the competition. He hit the target 20 times.

India's Aman Saini top scored with a score of 696, while Greece's Aman Saini shot 694. De Klerk outshot France's Nathan Cadronat and Victor Boudeau to qualify for the final. The final against India's Sangampreet Bisla was a humdinger. It came down to the last arrow. Ultimately, Bisla was only slightly more accurate. He clinched the victory by one point.

In an interview with SABC, De Klerk said, "I had a chance to win, but my opponent shot absolutely fantastic. I'm happy with my silver medal. I shot my best, and he just shot better at the end of the day. That's how archery plays out at times.

"I have been preparing for these games for a long time. I never thought I would achieve something like this. I finished seventh during the previous World University Games. So my goal was to go one better."

Those who follow South African archery won't be too surprised by De Klerk's heroics. Last year, in November, he won three gold medals in the compound archery competitions during the African Championships at Tuks. He was the men's champion, won the men's team competition with his dad, Beyers, and the mixed team competition."

Last year, he also won gold at the African Archery Championships and South Africa's Indoor Compound Championships.

"It was my dad who got me interested in the sport. He used to own an archery shop. I became curious when he brought a bow home. I started shooting arrows, but rugby remained my first love. I would have continued playing if I had not injured my knee in high school.

"To my surprise, my dad entered me to compete in a national archery tournament. I had no time to prepare, as it was two days before the championships were bound to start. I won. That clinched it for me. I have never stopped shooting," he explained with a smile.

De Klerk attributed his winning heroics to not getting fazed when one of his arrows went astray. According to him, when it happens, it is essential to forget about it immediately, as in archery, nothing can be undone