Emircan Haney on patience, discipline and the journey to World Cup gold
”I believe the most important quality an archer can have is self-awareness. If you don’t know what you feel, where your strengths lie, or when to stop, then you can’t truly find your path to the target.”
When Emircan Haney delivered his 14th 10 of the match to seal the title as the 2025 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final Champion, he ran straight back to his coach Mehmet Ejder Sozen – who burst into tears.
It was a moment an astonishing 15 years in the making. Haney, now 24, has worked with Sozen since he was nine years old.
“My coach and I share a bond like brothers,” said Haney. “He’s an idealist – determined, deeply faithful and also a medical doctor. He’s always pushed me to do better, never took the easy way and never gave up.”
“Working with him didn’t just make me a better archer; it shaped who I am as a person. The athlete I am today is largely the result of his belief in me.”
It was a perfect expression of the long-held, almost familial bonds often seen in Turkish archery – a long-term, multi-stranded approach of support from many levels and different directions.
In Haney’s case, his career has been supported by the Muğla local government on Türkiye’s Aegean Coast, which includes his hometown of Yatağan.
“Without that support, reaching this level would have been much harder,” he explained. “They made us feel valued – and that feeling has always been a great source of motivation.”
It’s been seven long years since Haney’s first international medal, a team silver at the Patras 2018 European Youth Championships aged 17.
After making his senior debut in 2022, he became a fixture on Türkiye’s compound men’s World Cup team and took individual bronze at the Krakow-Malopolska 2023 European Games.
But something last year spurred him on even further.
“It all started in Antalya last year because I finished fourth – I was so close, but I couldn’t make it,” Haney recalled. “I took my lessons, I did my homework all year and prepared myself better for this season.”
An individual bronze in Antalya and silver in Madrid this year proved he was ready to tangle with the best – even edging out Mathias Fullerton in a shoot-off along the way. Those results were enough to earn his ticket to Nanjing for the final.
Still, few expected much from him – especially after the draw pitted him against the top three favourites: new World Archery Champion Nicolas Girard, Fullerton and Mike Schloesser.
It looked like an impossible mountain to climb, but Haney was ready.
“When I landed in Nanjing, only one thought crossed my mind: ‘I’m ready.’ I didn’t think about the result – only about giving my best. Because sometimes, feeling ready matters just as much as winning.”
“In the final, the person I feared most was myself. Your biggest opponent out there is your own inner voice. I’ve learned not to silence it, but to compete with it. That day, I truly competed against myself. My coach kept reminding me of that throughout the matches.”
Archers in Nanjing had to battle themselves, their opponents and 16km/h gusts of wind, along with freezing rain showers. It became a contest of who could manage themselves best and perform in every moment.
But all the big names had faced similar conditions before. So what made the difference?
Haney credits his win to patience and discipline.
“Patience, for me, isn’t about waiting – it’s about sensing the right moment,” he said. “In archery, everything happens in seconds, but mastering those few seconds takes years. If you’re impatient, you rush – and when you rush, you make mistakes. When the moment finally comes, you just feel it’s the right one.”
“Discipline means showing up with the same determination every single day. Even when you don’t feel like it, even when you’re tired – you train. It’s not just physical; mental discipline matters just as much.”
“Sometimes you can’t silence your thoughts, but I’ve learned not to suppress them – I talk to them. Staying quiet, focusing, listening to your inner voice and remembering the goals you set for yourself… that’s what pushes you forward, day after day.”
The gold medal elevated Haney into the pantheon of Turkish greats. His three World Cup medals in 2025 already approach the total of four won by Demir Elmaagacli – the 2015 World Cup Final Champion in Mexico City.
Haney has matured well beyond his years and, with time on his side, has the chance to build a much bigger legacy – perhaps even challenge for an Olympic medal in LA28, alongside emerging Turkish talents like Hazal Burun.
For now, his win in China has made headlines across the sports pages in Türkiye.
“After winning, some things in my life changed – but I’ve tried to stay the same,” he said. “Now I understand that success isn’t an end point; it’s a journey.”
“I’m going to keep walking that path. I aim to be an example and an idol for the next generation of athletes.”
“In the future, I’ll still be standing in front of the target, at the top of the podium, with a gold medal around my neck, feeling that emotion in my eyes – and as the anthem plays, I’ll whisper to myself: ‘It was all worth it.’”
