Hazal Burun

Lore & Background

Burun began winning international medals in youth categories. At the 2021 World Archery Youth Championships, she earned a silver medal in the women's team compound event and a bronze in the mixed team compound event. In 2023, she won the bronze medal in the women's individual compound event at the European Games in Kraków, Poland, defeating Finland's Satu Nisula in the quarter-finals and Denmark's Tanja Gellenthien in the bronze medal match. Later that year, at the World Archery Youth Championships in Limerick, Ireland, she won a silver medal in the under-21 women's individual compound event, losing to Sydney Sullenberger of the United States in the final.

In 2024, Burun set a world and European record with 598 points in the 18-metre ranking round in Antalya, ratified by World Archery in both senior and under-21 women's compound categories. She won gold in the under-21 women's individual compound event at the European Indoor Archery Championships in Varaždin, Croatia, and also won the under-21 women's team compound title with Turkey. At the 2024 European Archery Championships in Essen, Germany, she won bronze in the women's individual compound event and gold in the women's team compound event with Ayşe Bera Süzer and Begüm Yuva. She also won individual bronze at the European Grand Prix in Poreč and individual silver at the 12th International Conquest Cup in Istanbul. At the European Youth Championships in Ploiești, Romania, she won the under-21 women's individual compound title.

In 2025, Burun won silver in the women's team compound event at the European Indoor Archery Championships in Samsun, Turkey. She won gold in the women's individual compound event at the first leg of the European Grand Prix in Antalya, and also gold in the women's team compound event with Begüm Yuva and Emine Rabia Oğuz. At the second stage of the Archery World Cup in Shanghai, she won bronze in the women's individual compound event, bronze with the Turkish women's team compound squad, and silver in the mixed team compound event. In 2026, she won gold with Yeşim Bostan and Defne Çakmak in the women's team compound event at the first leg of the European Grand Prix in Antalya, along with gold in the mixed team compound event with Emircan Haney and silver in the women's individual compound event. At the second stage of the Archery World Cup in Shanghai, she won gold with Emine Rabia Oğuz and Defne Çakmak in the women's team compound event, defeating the United States 234–231 in the final. She also won silver in the mixed team compound event with Emircan Haney. At the 2026 European Archery Championships in Antalya, she won the women's individual compound title, ranking first in qualification with 706 points and defeating Tanja Gellenthien 147–146 in the final. At the third stage of the 2026 Archery World Cup in Antalya, she won gold with Emine Rabia Oğuz and Defne Çakmak in the women's team compound event, defeating Mexico 233–231.

Reader's Guide

Hazal Burun's significance lies in her historic achievement at the 2026 European Archery Championships, where she became the first Turkish woman to win a European individual compound archery title. This milestone marks a breakthrough for Turkish archery in the compound discipline, elevating the country's profile in international competition. Her career trajectory shows consistent progression from youth categories to senior success, including world and European records in the 18-metre ranking round. Burun has demonstrated versatility across individual, women's team, and mixed team events, winning medals at European Championships, European Games, World Cup stages, and European Grand Prix events. Her legacy is further defined by her multiple titles at youth and under-21 levels, including European Youth Championships and European Indoor Championships, establishing her as a dominant figure in compound archery from an early age. The 2026 European title, achieved on home soil in Antalya, cements her place as a pioneering figure in Turkish archery history.

Did You Know?

• Hazal Burun set a world and European record of 598 points in the 18-metre ranking round in Antalya in 2024.
• She defeated Denmark's Tanja Gellenthien 147–146 to win the 2026 European Archery Championships women's individual compound title.

From Youth Contender to Senior Force

Hazal Burun's path from promising youth archer to a serious senior contender was marked by a string of international podium finishes that began before she turned twenty. At the 2021 World Archery Youth Championships, she claimed silver in the women's team compound event and bronze in the mixed team compound, establishing herself on the global junior stage. Two years later, the 2023 European Games in Kraków became a defining early test. In the quarter-finals she dispatched Finland's Satu Nisula 143–136, and although she fell 148–144 to Great Britain's Ella Gibson in the semi-finals, she recovered to beat Denmark's Tanja Gellenthien 146–138 for the bronze medal. That same year in Limerick, Ireland, she carried Turkey to a silver in the under-21 individual compound at the World Youth Championships, eliminating Michelle Maria Bombarda, Han Seung-yeon, Lara Drobnjak, and Hallie Boulton before a narrow 140–138 loss to the United States' Sydney Sullenberger. A bronze at the 11th International Conquest Cup in Istanbul rounded out a season that confirmed her arrival among the sport's rising stars.

The Historic 2026 European Title

The 2026 European Archery Championships in Antalya marked the crowning moment of Hazal Burun's career to that point. Competing on Turkish soil, she delivered the individual performance that would be remembered for generations. In the qualification round she posted 706 points to rank first, setting the tone for a dominant elimination campaign in which she successively defeated Marie Marquardt, Meeri-Marita Paas, Lisell Jäätma, and Sofie Louise Dam Marcussen. The final, against Denmark's Tanja Gellenthien, was decided by a single point: 147 to 146. That narrow margin made the achievement all the more remarkable, and it etched Burun's name into the record books as the first Turkish woman ever to claim a European individual compound archery title. The victory in Antalya, a city where she had also set a world and European record in 2024, completed a full circle of personal triumph on home ground and cemented her status as the defining figure in Turkish compound archery.

Record-Breaking and a Season of Consistency

Few archers of her generation have matched the sheer volume of podium finishes Hazal Burun accumulated in 2024. That year she set a world and European record of 598 points in the 18-metre ranking round in Antalya, a mark ratified by World Archery in both the senior and under-21 women's compound categories. She then collected gold at the European Indoor Championships in Varaždin, winning both the under-21 individual and team titles, followed by a bronze in the individual and a team gold at the European Championships in Essen, where Turkey beat Spain in the final. A team silver at the World Cup in Yecheon, South Korea, a bronze at the European Grand Prix in Poreč, a silver at the 12th International Conquest Cup in Istanbul, and a gold at the European Youth Championships in Ploiești—where she defeated Great Britain's Chloe A'Bear 149–143—rounded out a season of extraordinary consistency across every tier of competition.

Anchor of Turkey's Compound Team Program

Beyond her individual brilliance, Hazal Burun has been a cornerstone of Turkey's women's compound team program, a squad that has become one of the most consistently successful in European and world competition. Competing for the national team and Muğla Büyükşehir Belediyesi Sports Club, she has shared podiums with a rotating cast of teammates, including Ayşe Bera Süzer, Begüm Yuva, Emine Rabia Oğuz, Yeşim Bostan, and Defne Çakmak. The 2024 European Championships in Essen saw her and Süzer and Yuva defeat Spain for the team gold, while in 2025 the trio of Burun, Oğuz, and Süzer claimed silver in Samsun before adding a team gold at the European Grand Prix in Antalya alongside Yuva. By 2026, Burun had collected team golds at the European Grand Prix in Antalya, the World Cup in Shanghai—where Turkey edged the United States 234–231—and the World Cup in Antalya, where the team beat Mexico 233–231. Her mixed-team partnership with Emircan Haney has added further silver and gold medals to the collective tally.