Gazoz makes Tarragona final after setting Turkish record in qualifying

Turkish Olympian Mete Gazoz advanced to the gold medal match at the 2018 Mediterranean Games in Tarragona after setting a new national record for the 72-arrow 70-metre ranking round of 683/720 points.

Gazoz dropped just 12 points over his back 36 arrows for the career-high score and top seed.

He didn’t drop a set point in eliminations until the quarterfinals, where he dispatched Croatia’s Alen Remar, 7-3, before beating teammate Ibrahim Gulacar, 6-2, in the semifinals.

Gazoz will face Gasper Strajhar of Slovenia in the recurve men’s final.

Turkey also had the top-seeded recurve woman at the event but Yasemin Anagoz, who debuted at the same Olympics in Rio with Mete, was upset by teammate Aybuke Aktuna in a quarterfinal shoot-off.

Spain’s Monica Galisteo took advantage in the next phase, beating Aktuna in a double tiebreaker to set up a gold medal match against Lucilla Boari of Italy.

The Mediterranean Games is a multisport event held around every four years for nations situated around the Mediterranean Sea.

Spain’s Antonio Fernandez and Italian archer Guendalina Sartori won the individual titles at the last edition, held in Mersin, Turkey in 2013 – with Egypt winning the recurve men’s team event and Italy the women’s.

France will shoot for both team titles in 2018, against Slovenia in the men’s tournament and Spain in the women’s.

Finals from the archery competitions at the Tarragona 2018 Mediterranean Games will be streamed live on the Olympic Channel.

The archery competitions at the 2018 Mediterranean Games take place 22-24 June in Tarragona, Spain.