News

Gazoz issues preseason statement as Türkiye tops Spring Arrows medals

31 March 2023

Antalya, Türkiye

Real name:

Reigning Olympic Champion Mete Gazoz beat incumbent world number one Marcus D’Almeida in the recurve men’s final to cap a six-win performance for the host nation at the Spring Arrows held this week in Antalya.

Türkiye also took recurve women’s gold, courtesy Zeynep Kose, and the Gazoz-Kose pairing won the mixed team event, too.

“I’m really happy with the result,” said Gazoz. “Over the last three or four years, this is the first time I’ve been on the podium here. I am really excited for the rest of the season.”

After qualifying top two on Tuesday, just one point separating them over the 72 arrows, it seemed inevitable that Gazoz and D’Almeida would meet in the final. And despite a quarterfinal near-miss against Dan Olaru for Gazoz, which he survived in a shoot-off, the matches fell in favour of the storyline.

The final was as windy as the week preceding. Mete, shooting on his home field, looked better equipped to deal with the conditions.

He opened with a 30 and, although the remainder of the match never mirrored that level, Gazoz was a step ahead. He did just enough with his final arrow – an eight – to drop D’Almeida and secure an encouraging preseason win.

“My last arrow didn’t end up in the middle, and I don’t know the reason,” said Mete afterwards.

“But in the mixed team, I finished with a 10. I’m feeling really good about that.”

If the end of his individual final felt like it was missing that final drop of satisfying perfection – that umami arrow – the mixed team final, which completed the competition programme at the Spring Arrows, delivered.

After falling 3-1 down to Spain’s Elia Canales and Pablo Acha, the Turkish duo tightened in the third, shooting 39 points and drawing the match level.

Acha still had an opportunity to lock out the hosts with his final shot. A 10 would do it – but Pablo shot a wild seven, off to the right. A procedural nine from Kose left the match in the hands of the Olympic Champion, who had opened and closed Türkiye’s rotation.

Mete, as he often does, shone in the spotlight. The flags around the venue whipped in the wind but it might as well have been perfect conditions. The 23-year-old’s last maximum was near dead-centre. A perfect statement of intentions ahead of this important season.

“I am well prepared,” he said. “I’m ready for all the World Cups and the world championships. And, besides me, I feel that all my teammates are ready, too. We’re really confident for this one.”

Photos courtesy Saygin Akinci. Quotes courtesy Öykü Ergeç.