European Archery Grand Prix kicks off with qualifications in Arnhem

The second leg of the 2025 European Archery Grand Prix unfolded today at Papendal in Arnhem, the National Olympic Training Centre of the Netherlands. The day began under a grey sky but gradually brightened, mirroring the rising energy on the tournament field adjacent to TeamNL’s archery training facility. After a brief delay early in the day, the qualification rounds commenced smoothly and showcased remarkable performances across all categories.

The top qualifiers of the day delivered standout performances with german precision. In Recurve Men, Germany’s Mathias Kramer led with 666 points, while fellow German Katharina Bauer topped the Recurve Women with 640. The Compound Men saw a tie at the top between Dutch archer Stef Willems and Slovakia’s Jozef Bosansky, both scoring 688. In Compound Women, Germany’s Katharina Raab was in a class of her own, finishing first with an impressive 698 points.

Tight margins at the top in de recurve mens devision

Germany’s Mathias Kramer led the way with a consistent performance, scoring 666 points to secure first place. He was closely followed by Britain’s Patrick Huston with 665, showing his experience and precision under pressure. Dutch archer Willem Bakker impressed on home soil by finishing third with 663 points, clearly at ease on familiar ground.

Other notable Dutch performances came from Senna Roos (656, 6th) and Yaël Smeets (652, 8th), both securing places in the top ten. The level of competition was fierce, with many athletes scoring within a few points of each other.

Raab sets the bar for compound women

In the Compound Women’s category, Katharina Raab from Germany dominated the qualification round with a score of 698, delivering two powerful sessions of 350 and 348. Denmark’s Sofie Louise Dam Marcussen claimed second with 693, while the Netherlands’ own Fenna Stallen earned a well-deserved third place with 690. A performance that puts her in strong contention for the eliminations later this week.

Team Netherlands had additional representation in Margaux Rowbotham (657, 16th) en Jessie van den Munckhof (654, 17th). Stallen’s 690, with 44 tens and 16 Xs, was especially notable for its consistency and accuracy under variable conditions earlier in the day.

German Precision, Ukrainian Surge

Katharina Bauer (GER) led the women’s recurve qualification with 640 points, thanks to two consistent rounds of 320. The Ukrainian archers made a strong impression, with Anastasia Pavlova and Veronika Marchenko both scoring 639, taking 2nd and 3rd respectively. Not far behind was Italy’s Lucilla Boari at 638.

For the Netherlands, Quinty Roeffen stood out in 9th place with 629, showing solid form heading into eliminations. Teammates Laura van der Winkel (615) and Fleur van de Ven (605) followed further down the leaderboard.

Tie at the top for compound men

An impressive tie marked the compound men’s qualification, with both Stef Willems (NED) and Jozef Bosansky (SVK) scoring 688. Willems edged out Bosansky thanks to a higher second-round score with both men shooting the same amount of X’s and X+10’s. Noah Nuber (GER) followed closely in third with 687. Other Dutch highlights included Sil Pater in 14th with 666 and Rik Snelder in 21st with 653.

Papendal is the home for dutch archery

Set against the backdrop of Papendal’s world-class facilities, the tournament kicked off under typical dutch weather. Despite the cloudy start, the sun broke through as arrows began to fly, adding to the sense of momentum as scores climbed and pressure mounted. Papendal continues to prove itself as a premium host for top-tier international sport. As the European Grand Prix progresses, all eyes are on Arnhem.

What’s next?

With qualification rounds now complete, focus shifts to the elimination brackets. The narrow point margins promise intense matches in the coming days. Dutch archery fans will have high hopes as their archers head into knockouts with podium ambitions alive and well.