Entering Gwangju as the reigning champion – and the pressures that come with it – he denied, however, that it influenced his second-round shock elimination to Japan’s Aoshima Tetsuya.
He had also seeded a lowly 74th in qualifications – although it must be said Gazoz has previously gone on to win tournaments from such positions – but the Istanbul native cited “small bits of bad luck” and a “few personal issues” for the outcome.
As well as the demands he places on himself on the shooting line, off it his star has also risen as a well-sought-after figure in Turkish sports culture, holding valuable sponsorship deals with Red Bull, Nike, Allianz and Turkish design manufacturing giant Vestel.
Archers dealing with eyes on them in competition is part and parcel of the trade, but off it there are few who have to live in the limelight away from shooting. Gazoz insisted that is not a distraction – far from it, in fact.
“I think all of them are doing great work, both to support my own development and to help promote archery. Not just Turkish archery, but archery around the world, reaching larger audiences and gaining more recognition.”
“For me, this isn’t something distracting or bothersome – on the contrary, it’s something that makes me happy.”
Just like when he danced in Delhi – his favourite part, he admitted, of the Premier League – in Nanjing he did indeed appear to enjoy himself on the shooting line, from having a humorous acknowledgement of Matias Grande when they were drawn together on stage to high-fiving Ellison when they both shot perfect 30s.
In his personal life, he has always been content, satisfied, grateful – name as many synonyms for happy as you want.
