Britain’s Finnegan and Hicks set youth, senior barebow mixed team world records
Great Britain’s Evie Finnegan and Oliver Hicks produced a record-breaking qualification performance at the Rome 2026 European Youth Championships on 21 July, setting new youth and senior barebow mixed team world records.
The pair combined for 1238 points over the 50-metre 144-arrow round, improving the previous youth world best of 1228, set by Sweden’s Tilde Ottosson and Ludvig Rohlin at the second leg of the 2025 European Youth Cup in Slovenia, by 10 points.
Their score also surpassed the senior barebow mixed team world record of 1229, set by USA’s Matt Yacca and Christina Lyons at the Santiago 2022 Pan American and Para Pan American Championships, making Finnegan and Hicks the holders of both records with a single performance.
The record has now been officially ratified by World Archery.
Finnegan and Hicks had known each other for some time, but the significance of their performance only became clear as they added up their score.
“It was kind of really nice to end up shooting together in the first place,” said Finnegan. “Obviously, it was the first time anyone from Great Britain had done it, but once we realised we had a bit of a moment where both looked at each other and went, ‘What have you got? What you got?’, we added it up and then we had it by 10 points.”
The pair then realised their score had also broken the senior world record, adding another layer to an already historic achievement.
“So it was really kind of a great moment, and then we realised we brought the senior one as well, which really added to the moment.”
Finnegan and Hicks went on to win the barebow under-21 mixed team title in Rome, defeating Iceland in the final, before each claiming individual European gold, completing a clean sweep of the barebow events at the championships.
“So, it was a really surreal week to be honest. Obviously, it was very hot. We really enjoyed it. But obviously, me and Ollie both qualifying first, then finishing first, it was really just the icing on top of the cake.”
Two further youth world records have also recently been ratified.
USA’s Chloe Nelsen scored 1403 points to set a new compound under-18 women double 50-metre round world record at the 2026 WIAWIS USA Archery JOAD Target Nationals and JOAD U.S. Open in Lincoln, Nebraska, while India’s Arun Aarya posted 1372 points to establish a new recurve under-18 men double 60-metre round world record at the same event.
Image courtesy Archery GB.
