Oliver Hicks and Bryony Pitman of Great Britain both successfully defended their European field titles – in under-21 barebow men and recurve women respectively – at the Walbrzych-Ksiaz 2025 European Field Championships on Saturday 20 September.
Both had also triumphed two years ago in Cesana Sansicario, and their repeat victories headlined a breakthrough set of results for the British squad across senior and under-21 categories. Great Britain climbed to second in the medal table behind Italy, collecting four individual and three team golds, with maiden international titles for Emelia Hughes and Isabella Bruguier.
Pitman trailed Aurélie Autret by a point going into the last target but the Frenchwoman dropped three with her first two arrows. The 28-year-old, who recently retired from elite target competition to begin a new career, was ecstatic.
“I started full-time work in February and obviously training looks very different these days so, yeah, to come away with another gold medal here is just incredible,” said Pitman.
“This week, I just wanted to enjoy every day, make the best shots I could and see where it got me. And, you know, sometimes that’s the best way to do archery.”
