Italian and Dutch teams secure spots as last quota places for Baku 2015 assigned
Two teams were conspicuously absent from the list of qualified men’s teams heading into the last qualifying tournament for the Baku 2015 European Games – the first multisport event of its kind on the European continent.
The successful Dutch, European Champions before losing the title to France in 2014, and the Olympic Champion Italians had both lost before the quarterfinals of the Echmiadzin Europeans.
(The top eight teams in Echmiadzin received full team quotas to Baku.)
Italy, in one of the most dramatic matches of London 2012, beat the USA in the recurve men’s team final. Michele Frangilli, on the team in Marathon, shot a perfect 10 with his last arrow to secure the Olympic title.
Surprise early exits for both teams at the initial Baku team qualifier meant Marathon was firmly circled on their calendars, as the only other chance to secure places to send their potent trios to the European Games. In Greece, there were other teams out with qualification in mind.
Sixth seeds in Marathon, Poland’s team won their first match 6-0, then beat Great Britain in a quarterfinal shoot-off.
The top four men’s teams took quota spots, so Poland was in. So were top seed Italy and he second seeded Dutch, with last eight wins over Moldova and Croatia, respectively.
Poland went on to beat the Netherlands in the semis (another shoot-off) before a 6-0 thrashing of the Italians in the final. Turkey came fourth.
But the podium order wasn’t the important thing: Baku spots were secured for all four teams.
They will join France, Germany, Russia, Belarus, Slovenia, Norway, Spain, Ukraine and host nation Azerbaijan in the first European Games men’s team event.
Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Luxembourg, Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia Sweden and Switzerland all qualified an individual men’s place.
“The mission was getting the tickets,” said Netherland head coach Ron van der Hoff. “Most of the countries came here looking to get the European Games. I wasn’t really worried for the men but for the ladies, it was tricky – and the line was definitely a bit more packed.”
Nearly 300 athletes made the trip to Greece.
Ron said that the Netherlands men, with the quality and status they have, should have taken a place but the performance of his ladies was more of a surprise.
“We only started a new ladies programme a year and a half ago. Big surprise for us and great for all the team back home. It’s not just us on the trip that have put in the hard work, and it seems to have paid off.”
Six women’s team places were available at this last qualifier. Netherlands took silver and the second, Belarus the first.
Ukraine – so successful at the last World Archery Indoor Championships – also had a spot, as did Spain, Switzerland and Turkey. They are set to enter a Baku women’s team competition that will also feature France, Germany, Poland, Russia, Denmark, Great Britain, Georgia, Italy and host nation Azerbaijan.
The following nations have qualified an individual women’s quota place: Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Kosovo, Latvia, Moldova, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden.
Kosovo’s quota place marks a dramatic step forward for the nation, as it National Olympic Committee was only recently accepted by the International Olympic Committee – and Baku will be the first multisport games it can send a team to.
The country was also awarded a universality quota place in the men’s competition, along with Iceland and Serbia. Lithuania was award the lone women’s universality quota place.
