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Bakker takes first target major title at European Outdoor Championships

24 May 2026

Antalya, Türkiye

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The Netherlands‘ Willem Bakker became the new European champion in individual men‘s recurve at the European Outdoor Championships 2026, beating Mauro Nespoli of Italy, 6-2.

“It was amazing,” said the 25-year-old. “It felt unreal. I was like ‘oh, I hope I get it’ when I walked on.” Bakker was the European field champion in 2023 and took a bronze in the same discipline at last year’s World Games.

The victory caps a strong week for the Netherlands, taking the compound mixed team gold, the compound women’s team gold, along with a bronze medal for Mike Schloesser in the compound men’s individual.

“I mean, the whole week was just crazy. I think yesterday with the compounds, we have a lot of success. And we got two teams that became European champions. And Mikey as well shot a beautiful bronze medal. And well, I just love to make it a third title,” he added.

His opponent Nespoli (coached by Italian legend Michele Frangilli, who won this title back in 2002) opened with an seven and an eight in the first end, but locked in from the second set.

However, he never quite found the ten ring when he needed it after that, and Bakker soon had a 4-2 lead. A high pressure final arrow that edged into the ten from a tense Bakker in the fourth set was enough.

In the bronze match, a relaxed-looking defending champion Mete Gazoz worked his home advantage fully to take the bronze medal from Baptiste Addis of France. Gazoz and Elif Gokkir had enough for another home nation gold medal, beating France in the mixed team final, while Germany’s recurve teams had an exceptional day with both men’s and women’s teams taking gold.

In the women’s individual competition, the AIN’s Nurinisso Makhmudova, who became European indoor champion in February, added the outdoor title to her palmares after beating Elia Canales of Spain with a fluid and solid display of shooting.

A gutted Canales never quite found a full groove and a poor third end of 26 seemed to rattle her; she did not find the ten ring again. It marks an agonising third silver medal for the Spaniard at a major European final after coming up one short at both the Krakow-Malopolska 2023 European Games and the Essen 2024 European Archery Championships.

Still only 24, she will have another chance at the 2028 European Championships in Nottingham, UK as well as the 2027 Istanbul European Games.