Who are they? A key part of the new wave of Turkish recurve talent.
What’s the story? It’s not been made much of a fuss of, but Türkiye topped the medal table in Shanghai last month, with China in second place and Korea in a shocking third. Much of this was down to the men’s recurve team of Berkay Akkoyun, Berkim Tumer and the more familiar name of Mete Gazoz – all three of which would be candidates for the ‘ones to watch list’ here.
As a team, they’re almost certainly favourites for gold, but individually, all also have a shot. We’re singling out Akkoyun after his performance here on home turf in the European Grand Prix Spring Arrows. The Lilleshall 2022 European youth champion posted an international best of 681, six points more than teammate Gazoz. He seems to thrive at home, winning in Samsun last year and the 2024 Conquest Cup, as well as multiple team medals at home and abroad.
Is this his time? Maybe.
What’s the goal? A team medal seems inevitable, but he will want to show he can makes move individually like his teammates.
Vital statistics:
- Age: 21
- World ranking: 39
- Best result: European Youth Champion in 2022, runner up in 2024
- Instagram: @berkayakkoyunn
