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Mete’s legend grows as Olympic and world champ adds European title

12 May 2024

Essen, Germany

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Mete Gazoz celebrates winning the Europeans in 2024.

Mete Gazoz became the first archer in history to hold the Olympic, World and European Champion titles at the same time today in Essen, as Germany’s Katharina Bauer won the recurve women’s event in front of a supportive home crowd.

Mete swept Slovenia’s Den Habjan, 6-0, in the recurve men’s final.

He celebrated with his traditional pose – and his family, who were watching from the stands.

“It means a lot to me. My mum, dad and sister all coming. Today has a very special meaning for me as it is Mother’s Day in Türkiye,” he said. “I presented the gold medal of the European Championships to my mother and I am very happy about it. I am proud.”

“Knowing that my family is behind me always gives me a lot of strength and I try to reflect that strength on the field.”

Mete’s ability to switch to another level at major events is astonishing. And it was on full display in Essen.

He opened the final with a 29-point set but when Habjan didn’t pose much of a threat in the second, the reigning Olympic Champion lost focus – and pushed his third arrow of the set high and right, into the seven.

“I threw it so badly,” he said afterwards. “I knew I had to get good points in the last set. I knew my opponent was going to have a good set, so I just prepared for that. I think about what I have to do and I’m brave. Then it comes back to you.”

Three perfect 10s in the third and Mete finished this final in nine arrows, adding yet another major result – in Germany – to his record in the country, after winning stages of the Hyundai Archery World Cup and then the worlds in Berlin in 2018, 2019 and 2023.

“I can win big events but I can win other events, too,” he said, smiling, in his post-match interview. “It’s big events we train for.”

Mete will enter the Olympics in Paris with a shot at achieving something no other archer has managed – winning twice in a row. (Only Darrell Pace has collected two individual titles, in 1976 and 1984.)

“I don’t have the goal of defending the Olympic Championship title right now. Not again in Paris. In Paris. I’m preparing to be the first Olympic Champion for the first time and I’m doing it that way,” he said.

“It is much, much easier to try and win the title from scratch than to protect the title. This is how I prepare myself, prepare myself psychologically.”

“In the end, I will be champion.”

Katharina Bauer‘s individual victory is the biggest result of her career to date. She also collected mixed team gold for Germany with Florian Unruh, after France collected both the recurve men’s and women’s team titles during the morning session.

Twelve Olympic quota places were awarded in Essen. There is now only one remaining chance to secure quotas at the last-chance qualifier in Antalya in June.