Antalya: Turkish archer Mete Gazoz has set his sights on winning two medals at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games after a successful 2026 season. Gazoz, who won the individual Olympic title at Tokyo 2020 and helped Trkiye claim a team medal at Paris 2024, said he wanted to reach the podium in both events in Los Angeles. "I feel completely ready for the Olympics. The 2028 Games will be better than Tokyo and Paris," he told Anadolu while attending the Turkish national archery team's training camp in Antalya. "I won an individual medal in Tokyo, and we won a team medal in Paris. In Los Angeles, I want to win both medals."

According to Anadolu Agency, Gazoz said Trkiye's international season concluded with the final stage of the 2026 Archery World Cup in Mexico. The 2026 campaign was highly successful both for him personally and for the Turkish national team, he said, pointing to his seven World Cup medals as well as the team's strong performances at the European Championships and Mediterranean Games. "We had a wonderful year as Turkish archery in 2026," Gazoz said. "It was a year that gave us hope for 2027 and showed our rivals that they should be wary of us."

The 2027 season will be particularly important as qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics gets underway. Gazoz said his immediate objective was to earn an Olympic qualification spot by becoming world champion, while Trkiye's men's team would seek to complete what he described as "unfinished business." "Every year, I improve on the previous one. I believe 2027 will be even better than this year because qualification for the 2028 Olympics begins," he said. "There is a World Championships next year. I want to secure the Olympic quota by becoming world champion. As the men's team, we also want to finish what we left incomplete, win the world title and qualify."

Gazoz also addressed an unusual final arrow during the fourth stage of the World Cup in Spain. Needing only six points to guarantee the gold medal, he scored exactly six points. The shot attracted attention, with some observers interpreting it as a calculated display of confidence. "My six-point shot was widely discussed. In fact, it was partly down to bad luck because a strong wind began during the final series, and the arrow went into the six," he said. Gazoz said he then acted as though the shot had been intentional because his opponents were watching the match and studying his reaction. "It became a message to them: 'Whatever score I need, that is what I will shoot.' But that really is how I feel," he added.

Gazoz also welcomed archery's growing popularity in Trkiye, saying major sponsorship agreements involving athletes could help raise the sport's profile both domestically and internationally.