NIMES, France – Stephan Hansen delivered a performance to remember at the Nimes Archery Tournament, capturing compound men gold at Stage 5 of the Indoor World Series for the first time since 2017 after a heart-stopping finale against world number three Mike Schloesser (NED).

Seeded 24th after qualification, Hansen came alive when it mattered most, building momentum through the elimination rounds and ultimately edging Schloesser in a dramatic one-arrow shootoff to claim the title. It marked a long-awaited return to the top step of the podium in Nimes Hansen, who will represent the USA Archery Team on the world stage this year.

“I saw yesterday that it’s been nine years since I won it (Nimes Archery Tournament). I feel a little old now,” Hansen joked with Archery+ TV after the victory.

The road to gold was anything but straightforward. Hansen needed a shootoff to defeat Lorenzo Gubbini (ITA) after both posted 148, then overcame Italy’s Marco Bruno 149-147 in the 1/8 round. From there, the 30-year-old produced back-to-back maximum scores in the quarterfinals and semifinals to knock out top seed Robin Jaatma (EST) and Nico Wiener (AUT), both by razor-thin 150-149 margins.

The gold medal match against Schloesser proved just as tense, with Hansen holding his nerve to seal the win. The triumph also carried added significance after Hansen narrowly missed gold at Stage 2 of the Indoor World Series in Luxembourg in November, where he was denied in a shootoff by Kushal Dulal (IND).

Hansen added, “It was a rough qualification and somehow I just came back and shooting feels so much better now. I’m feeling much more calm and feels so ready for the whole year.”

Elsewhere in compound men, Sawyer Sullivan placed fifth after a narrow 150-149 quarterfinal loss to eventual bronze medalist Mathias Fullerton. Kyle Douglas finished ninth, while Joseph Rosal earned 10th place in compound U21 men.

In recurve men, third seed Nicholas D’Amour finished fifth following a shootoff loss to Alexandre Desemery (FRA) in the quarterfinals. Defending champion Brady Ellison placed ninth, as did Casey Kaufhold in recurve women.

Sixteen-year-old Medina Otajagic impressed in barebow women, finishing seventh after falling in the quarterfinals to eventual gold medalist Giulia Mantilli (ITA).

Check out all the results from Nimes, the last of the European stops within the Indoor World Series.

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