European Youth Championships Conclude in Rome

The 2026 European Youth Championships concluded on Saturday in Rome, Italy, bringing six days of competition to a close after Europe’s best young archers contested 22 European titles across the recurve, compound and barebow disciplines.

A total of 376 athletes representing 40 Member Associations competed across the recurve, compound and barebow divisions in the under-18 and under-21 age classes, highlighting the strength and depth of youth archery across Europe.

Friday’s team finals produced a number of impressive performances. France captured both recurve under-18 team titles, while Ukraine claimed the recurve under-21 men’s crown and Spain won the recurve under-21 women’s event. Compound team honours were shared among several nations. Germany secured the under-21 men’s title, Italy triumphed in the under-18 men’s competition, Türkiye claimed the under-18 women’s title and AIN won the under-21 women’s event. Spain also completed a successful week by winning both the recurve under-21 and compound under-21 mixed team titles, while Türkiye topped both under-18 mixed team events.

The championships concluded on Saturday with the individual finals. France celebrated a clean sweep of the recurve under-21 titles through Baptiste Addis and Mila Fremery Delestan, while Croatia’s Matija Smaguc and Türkiye’s Dunya Yenihayat won the recurve under-18 men’s and women’s titles. In compound, Germany’s Noah Nuber won the under-21 men’s title, while Türkiye’s Defne Cakmak defeated compatriot Ecrin Yavuz in an all-Türkiye final to claim the under-21 women’s crown. Great Britain’s Bert Smart and the Netherlands’ Fenna Stallen completed the compound champions list by winning the under-18 men’s and women’s titles respectively. Great Britain also enjoyed an outstanding championship in the barebow under-21 division, where Oliver Hicks and Evie Finnegan both secured individual European titles after combining for a remarkable mixed team qualification performance earlier in the week.

Türkiye finished at the top of the overall medal table with 18 medals, including five gold, eight silver and five bronze, ahead of France with four gold medals, and Great Britain and Spain with three each.

The championships also featured two record-breaking performances during the qualification rounds. Great Britain’s Oliver Hicks and Evie Finnegan combined for 1238 points in the Barebow Under 21 Mixed Team event to surpass both the Under 21 and senior World and European records, while France’s Arthur Gerardin, Kylan Hepp and Maël Lamouret set a new European record of 2011 points in the Recurve Under 18 Men’s Team event. Both performances are pending official ratification.

The successful week in Rome once again demonstrated the high standard of European youth archery and showcased many of the athletes who will represent their countries on the international stage in the years ahead.

World Archery Europe congratulates all athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, organisers and Member Associations who contributed to another successful edition of the European Youth Championships.