Mete Gazoz becomes the first archer to hold Olympic, World, and European titles

Mete Gazoz continues his dominance in archery, achieving his 50th international medal in Essen, Germany, and setting his sights on Paris 2024

Turkish archer Mete Gazoz has achieved historic success in the world of archery, reaching his 50th international medal with gold at the European Championships.

Held in Essen, Germany, from May 7-12, the European Championships saw Turkish athletes win a total of 6 medals: 2 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze. Mete Gazoz won the gold medal in the men’s individual recurve event, adding the European champion title to his Olympic and world titles. He is the first archer in history to hold all three titles.

How many medals has Mete Gazoz won?

Mete Gazoz’s journey in archery began under the development and monitoring programs of the Turkish Archery Federation. He won his first international medal at the age of 17 with the men’s team at the European Youth Cup in Croatia. In the same event, he also won gold in the individual youth category. Over his 17-year career, Gazoz has amassed 50 medals.

His first medal in official championships came in 2017 at the World Youth Archery Championships in Argentina, where he won bronze in the mixed team event. In 2018, he won his first individual gold at the European Youth Championships in Patras, Greece.

Mete Gazoz’s tally includes 24 gold, 10 silver, and 16 bronze medals from World and European Archery Federation events. Individually, he has collected 14 gold, three silver, and six bronze medals.

Mete Gazoz’s success in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

The pinnacle of Gazoz’s career came at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where he won the gold medal. Since then, he has continued to collect medals, adding 24 more to his collection, including 13 individual medals.

In 2023, he won the gold at the Hyundai World Championships in Berlin. The following year, he became the European champion at the Outdoor European Archery Championships in Essen, defeating Slovenia’s Den Habjan Malavasic 6-0 in the final.

Mete Gazoz’s next goal is the Paris 2024 Olympics. After the European Championships, he immediately resumed training with the national team to prepare for upcoming international events and training camps abroad.

“Mete Gazoz is preparing according to our strategic plan”

Türkiye’s Archery Federation President Abdullah Topaloglu attributed the success to teamwork, noting that many athletes have achieved significant success alongside Gazoz.

“Mete has achieved historic success. He has become a shared joy and excitement for our country. About 12 years ago, we implemented a project to bring talented athletes to the national team. Our technical team has worked hard. The medals show that our strategic plan is working. Mete Gazoz is preparing according to our strategic plan. We will use the remaining time efficiently to compete for medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics,” he said.

National Archery Teams Technical Director Goktug Ergin emphasized the intense efforts of the technical team to prepare the athletes for championships.

“Our biggest advantage is the athletes’ adherence to the program supported by the federation. This program makes it easier for us to work together and achieve better results. We currently have a quota of 3 men’s recurve team members and 1 woman for Paris 2024. Mete Gazoz will go to Paris as a favorite. We are aware of our responsibilities and expectations and will do our best to represent our country,” he added.

Source: Newsroom