Photo by World Archery
The path into archery often begins with a youth program, a school club or a first visit to a local range. For Damilola Bartholomew Sholademi, it began during the uncertainty of a global pandemic, guided largely by curiosity, determination and a series of online videos.
Today, the Nigerian-born archer is one of the most decorated athletes in his country’s history and a proud member of the USA Archery community, which he credits with helping refine his talent and rekindle his joy for the sport.
Sholademi’s introduction to archery came during the COVID-19 lockdown while he was living in Nigeria. With limited access to facilities, coaching or formal programs, he began teaching himself the fundamentals through YouTube tutorials. There were no coaches walking the shooting line and few nearby ranges to practice at. What he did have was persistence.
What began as an improvised way to stay active during lockdown quickly evolved into something much bigger.
Alongside friends, Sholademi helped establish the ARCH Archery Club in Abuja, Nigeria, creating a small but passionate hub for the sport in a country where archery infrastructure was still developing.
The club has since introduced both children and adults to the sport, organized open tournaments that attract archers from across Nigeria and neighboring countries, and helped build a foundation for the country’s national team. Many of its members now form the core of Nigeria’s international archery roster.
At the same time, Sholademi’s own competitive results began turning heads.
In 2022, he represented Nigeria at the African Continental Archery Championships in South Africa, where he won silver and helped Nigeria reach a continental archery podium for the first time in the nation’s history. The moment marked a breakthrough for both the athlete and the sport in his home country.
Soon after, life took him halfway around the world.
In 2023, Sholademi moved to Massachusetts to pursue a PhD at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. After 16 years working in law enforcement, he began doctoral studies in criminology and justice studies with a focus on terrorism and security. While his academic research examines complex global challenges, he quickly discovered that the archery range offered balance and clarity.
“On weekends, I found the range,” Sholademi said. “And on the range, I found something I did not expect to find so far from home: community.”
Immersing himself in the U.S. archery scene proved transformative. Surrounded by experienced coaches, structured training environments and welcoming fellow archers, Sholademi began refining the raw skills he had developed largely on his own.
He also began volunteering at Onsite Archery, contributing to the same supportive environment that had embraced him.
“The coaching, the culture and the quiet generosity of people who took a Nigerian newcomer seriously helped me grow,” he explained.
The results followed.
In 2023, Sholademi returned to the African Continental Archery Championships in Tunisia (pictured) and earned another silver medal. Competing regularly in the United States, he went on to win back-to-back gold medals at the Northeast Region of the USA Archery Indoor National Championships in 2024 and 2025.
Across his international career, Sholademi has now amassed an extraordinary collection of 43 medals, making him the most decorated archer in Nigeria’s history. Yet for him, the medals tell only part of the story.
“I am a man who left Nigeria carrying the weight of a nation’s hopes,” he said. “When I arrived in New England, the archery community did not see me as a foreigner. They saw an archer.”
That sense of belonging has helped shape the next chapter of his journey. Sholademi has since been appointed National Director, Technical for the Nigeria Archery Federation, where he is helping guide the development of the sport across his home country.
The lessons learned, confidence gained and relationships formed while competing and volunteering in the United States are now part of what he hopes to pass on to the next generation of Nigerian archers.
“The confidence, the calibration and honestly the joy I rediscovered over the past three years competing and volunteering under USA Archery’s banner are part of what I am now taking back to Nigeria,” he said.
Archery has also become a family affair.
Sholademi’s two daughters have developed their own passion for the sport and now compete regularly across New England. Like many young athletes, they dream big - with hopes that one day their journey could lead to the Olympic stage.
Away from the range, Sholademi balances his academic research with a wide range of interests. A longtime martial artist, he practices both judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, enjoys hiking and is an avid dog lover. Yet the quiet concentration of archery remains a constant thread tying his pursuits together.
His journey reflects the power of sport to connect people across cultures and continents. From practicing alone during pandemic lockdowns in Nigeria to competing and volunteering within the USA Archery community, Sholademi’s path illustrates how the sport can create connections far beyond the target.
“Archery crosses borders,” he said. “It is a sport where someone can arrive as a stranger and leave as part of a community.”
For Sholademi, that community now stretches across two continents - and continues to shape the future of the sport he loves.
For those inspired by stories like Sholademi’s and interested in trying archery for themselves, becoming a member of USA Archery is a great place to start. Membership connects archers of all ages and abilities with certified coaches, local clubs, events and a nationwide community passionate about the sport.
