In an historic journey through the world of archery, Turkish treasure Mete Gazoz has reached his 50th international medal milestone with his European Championship victory.
At the European Championships held in Essen, Germany, from May 7-12, Turkish athletes won a total of six medals, including two gold, one silver and three bronze.
Mete Gazoz, who secured the gold medal in the men's individual recurve event, added the title of European Champion to his Olympic and world champion titles.
He became the first archer to hold the titles of Olympic, world and European Champion.
Mete Gazoz made his mark in the history of archery by being included in the athlete development and monitoring programs implemented by the Turkish Archery Federation.
Developed and supported in the youth pool, the athlete achieved his first international medal at the European Youth Cup in Croatia, winning the gold medal in the men's team recurve event at the age of 17.
In the same competition, he also won the gold medal in the youth individual event, managing to fit 50 medals into his 7-year national team career.
Mete Gazoz won his first official medal at the 2017 World Youth Archery Championships in Argentina, where he won bronze in the mixed team event.
At the 2018 European Youth Championships in Patras, Greece, the national athlete won his first individual gold medal, standing alone at the top of the podium.
Throughout championship and cup events organized by the World and European Archery Federations, Mete Gazoz has participated in a total of 50 medal ceremonies, including 24 gold, 10 silver and 16 bronze.
The national athlete has added a total of 23 medals to his collection in individual events, including 14 gold, 3 silver and 6 bronze.
Achieving gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to the postponement caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in 2021, Mete continued his historic achievements after the Olympics.
Mete Gazoz, who introduced himself to the world at the Tokyo Olympics, competed for medals and titles in major competitions.
After the Olympics, the national archer added 24 medals, 13 of which were individual, to his collection.
He achieved the titles of World and European Champion in Germany in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
At the 2023 Hyundai World Championships held in Berlin, Mete Gazoz won the gold medal. In the same competition, he also took part in the team competition and won the second-place cup.
The national jewel won his first World Champion title in Germany and his European champion title in 2024.
In the final of the men's recurve event at the Outdoor European Archery Championships held in Essen, Mete Gazoz faced Den Habjan Malavasic from Slovenia.
Mete defeated Malavasic 6-0, winning the European Championship gold medal that was missing from his career.
Having achieved Olympic, World and European Championships in the last 4 years, the national athlete's new goal is the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Continuing his training with the team without a break after the European Championships, Mete Gazoz will prepare for Paris 2024 with international competitions and camps abroad.
President of the Turkish Archery Federation, Abdullah Topaloğlu, highlighted the importance of teamwork in achieving success, citing Mete Gazoz's historic achievements as an example.
He emphasized the strategic planning and hard work that have led to the national team's success and expressed confidence in their preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Director of National Teams in Archery, Göktuğ Ergin, emphasized the intense energy and careful planning that goes into preparing athletes for championships.
He credited the federation's supportive program for their success and expressed confidence in Mete Gazoz's prospects for the Paris Olympics, pledging to represent Türkiye with excellence.