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Finals in Istanbul close successful first archery event at a Para Youth Games

27 July 2025

Istanbul, Türkiye

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Competition at the Istanbul 2025 European Para Youth Games was completed on Friday with gold and bronze finals in recurve, compound and W1 for the field of under-23 athletes.

In recurve, Slovakia’s Ivan Denis triumphed over Türkiye’s Sezgin Zeynep 6-4, with top seed Mustafa Birlik finishing with bronze. In W1, Francesco Maria Sorato delighted the Italian delegation with gold, beating his compatriot Francesco Tomaselli 142-140.

Italy would have more to cheer about as Gabriele Saccoman took the compound title over Liliana Lacova of Slovakia in a shootoff, after both archers tied on 136 points each.

“I am very proud of myself. I did the best that I could. To win at my international debut is something that is spectacular,” said an ecstatic Saccoman afterwards.

“I know that this is just a small part of all the international matches and qualifications... but this is a start to be an important athlete in the future. The gold medal gives me the opportunity to grow as an athlete, to start to grow and be stronger, to be more effective in the future.”

Italy would finish top of the five nation medal table with two golds and a silver.

It was a small competition in terms of numbers, but with outsize importance for the sport.

“Being part of the youth multisport events gives para archery more chance to be highlighted,“ tournament director Dominique Ohlmann said. “Multisport events have a stronger capacity to communicate which can give advantage to all disciplines. Being part of it is also a kind of recognition of para archery as a ‘real’ sport.”

“The European Para Youth Game in Istanbul has given an incredible highlight of our discipline that we normally wouldn’t or couldn’t expect at a youth event with seven countries and 26 athletes.”

Following Istanbul, in 2025 para archery will also be present at the Para Panamerican Youth Games in Santiago de Chile and at the Asia Youth Para Games in Dubai. Like the European Youth Para Games, these events will also feature under-23 athletes with competition indoors at 18 metres.

Dubai will also host the first International event dedicated to under-21 para archers from 28-30 October, part of a global expansion of youth para archery that has been many years in development.

The competition in Istanbul has been an important milestone on that journey.

“We are very proud of the European Para Youth Game para archery competition held in Istanbul, organised with the valued support of the Turkish archery federation,” said Chiara Barbi, chair of the World Archery Europe para archery committee.

“For many of the young athletes, it was their very first opportunity to experience the excitement of an international event. They had the chance to meet, connect, and challenge each other, all while speaking the universal language of sport – a language that goes beyond words and brings people together.”

“May the emotions and memories of these days stay in the hearts of these young athletes, giving them the motivation to keep training and to aspire ever higher, to grow not only as athletes but also as individuals – and to never forget the joy of playing together.”