Double Gold for Kristina BERGER and Rick VAN DER VEN

The European Archery Championships took place from 21-27 May in Amsterdam (Netherlands). Four new individual champions were crowned: Rick VAN DER VEN (NED), Ksenia PEROVA (RUS), Sergio PAGNI (ITA) and Kristina BERGER (GER).

Recurve
The host team Netherlands dominated the recurve men’s competition. The individual podium consisted of an unexpected and young trio in this category: the 21-year-old Rick VAN DER VEN (NED) won the gold medal in front of the home crowd, after defeating the 17-year-old Slovenian Klemen STRAJHAR in straight sets, 6-0. The promising newcomer of the French team Thomas FAUCHERON defeated the British archers Larry GODFREY and Simon TERRY before losing his semifinal to STRAJHAR. The 22-year-old went on to defeat Markiyan IVASHKO (UKR) 7-1 for the bronze medal.

The individual champion Rick VAN DER VEN led his teammates Sjef VAN DEN BERG and Rick VAN DEN OEVER photo to the gold medal in the men’s team competition. Seeded No. 2, the Dutch archers defeated Italy in the final, 215-212. For bronze, Ukraine beat the recent winners of the Antalya World Cup Great Britain 204-200.

On the women’s side, the defending champion from 2010 Natalya ERDYNIYEVA couldn’t go past the 1/8 elimination round. Nonetheless the European trophy stayed in Russian hands thanks to Ksenia PEROVA, who qualified easily for the gold medal final, which she won 6-0 over the British Olympian Naomi FOLKARD. The Russian is in great form this season, having won the Indoor World Cup Final in February. As in the men’s category, the bronze medal went to a French athlete, Cyrielle COTRY.

The first elimination round of the women’s team competition saw the upset of the best seeded countries Russia and Great Britain. The French women Berengere SCHUH / Celine BEZAULT / Cyrielle COTRY came out on top, defeating Spain by two points, 200-198, while Germany won the bronze over Denmark, 197-196.

Finally, the recurve mixed team gold medal went to the top-seeed Italian pair of Natalia VALEEVA / Mauro NESPOLI who defeated Poland’s Anna SZUKALSKA / Piotr NOWAK in the final. Turkey’s Yagiz YILMAZ / Begul LOKLUOGLU upset the No. 3 pair made of the British Olympic medallists Simon TERRY and Alison WILLAMSON on their way to the bronze medal.

Compound
Martin DAMSBO shot the men’s gold medal final on his 27th birthday but the trophy eluded him. The Danish archer lost his final match 143-145 to the double World Cup winner Sergio PAGNI (ITA). Paul TITSCHR (GER) took the bronze medal over Vladas SIGAUSKAS (LTU).

The Dutch team, who had placed first in qualification, had to settle for the bronze medal after losing their semifinal to Great Britain by just one point. The Frenchmen Pierre-Julien DELOCHE / Dominique GENET / Christophe DOUSSOT, seeded No. 2, scored 229 points to take the gold medal over the No. 4 Great Britain.

The women’s competition was dominated by the rising star of compound archery Kristina BERGER. The former German champion in pistol shooting easily won the individual gold medal in her first European Archery Championships, just weeks after placing second to the World Champion Albina LOGINOVA in her first World Cup appearance in Antalya! Italian teammates Anastasia ANASTASIO and Marcella TONIOLI won the silver and bronze medals, respectively.

Kristina BERGER not only won the individual gold medal – she led her team to the European title as well! Germany had an easy victory 222-216 over the leader Italy. France scored 223 points to take the bronze over the No. 2 seed Russia.

The Netherlands finally grabbed “their” compound gold medal in the mixed team event. The leaders from qualifications Peter ELZINGA / Inge VAN CASPEL defeated the world champions Sergio PAGNI / Marcella TONIOLI 149-147. Russia (Dmitry KOZHIN / Albina LOGINOVA) won their one and only compound medal of the championships, the bronze.

All the results are available here.

World Archery Communication