Actualités

Olympic Champions named best archers of year in 2021

02 avril 2022

Lausanne, Switzerland

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An San and Mete Gazoz were named recurve athletes of 2021.

The individual winners of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, An San and Mete Gazoz, headline the list of archers set to receive World Archery’s Athlete of the Year awards for 2021.

An San, who collected a record three gold medals at the Games, was also chosen as breakthrough archer of the year, narrowly beating out her own teammate Kim Je Deok and European Champion Lisa Barbelin of France in the shortlist.

It is the second time Gazoz has been named Athlete of the Year after 2018, when he was also named the breakout star.

Reigning World Archery Champion and six-time Hyundai Archery World Cup Champion Sara Lopez won the compound women’s trophy for the sixth consecutive time since 2015 (the awards were not given in 2020).

Mike Schloesser picked up his fourth annual award and third in a row.

The para awards went to David Drahoninsky and Zahra Nemati, who both won gold at last summer’s Paralympics. Tokyo marked Nemati’s third consecutive victory at the Games after London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Turkey’s Goktug Ergin, who stood behind Gazoz as he won the Olympics, collected his second coach of the year award after 2018.

Cesar Araujo of Mexico was named the best judge of the year by World Archery’s judge committee, with an additional commendation recommended for Robert Potts particularly for his contribution at the 2021 World Archery Youth Championships.

The 2021 Athlete of the Year awards were voted on by a panel that included journalists and members of World Archery’s executive board.

The awards are being adjusted for the upcoming season. An overall “Athlete of the Year” trophy, voted on by members of the media, will be re-introduced alongside the current nine categories, with a public vote planned immediately after the end of the season.

There are also plans to launch a World Archery Hall of Fame at the World Archery Excellence Centre.

Trophies for the 2021 award winners are expected to be presented at international events held during the upcoming season.