Teenage Fylde coast archer wins gold twice & breaks 2 world records
“I came first individually and won Gold, I came first in the mixed teams and also won Gold, so it feels really crazy.”
A Fylde Coast teenager has cemented her place among Europe's best young archers after winning two gold medals and breaking two world records at the European Youth Championships in Rome.
Evie Finnegan, 19, from Lytham, competes in Barebow Archery. She won her incredible achievements last week at a tournament in Italy.
"I just got back from Rome last week," Evie told The Gazette. “It was the European Youth Championships. I came first individually and won Gold, I came first in the mixed teams and also won Gold, so it feels really crazy.
“In qualification, me and my teammate Ollie broke two world records. We broke the under-21 world record first, and then we broke the senior world record. It was kind of surreal because it's my last year as an under-21, so it’s a nice way to finish it."
On top of her recent achievements in Rome, Evie has won over 400 individual awards and was crowned the British Target Champion in 2025. She also represented Team GB at the European Indoor Archery Championships in Bulgaria earlier this year.
"I first started Archery when I was about 10,” Evie explained. “I started it on holiday at Centre Parks with my grandparents when we did a ‘have-a-go’ session, and then I carried on from there."
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Now a seasoned competitor, Evie is regarded as one of the best young Bareback Archers in the world. She regularly travels across the UK and beyond to play her sport.
Evie added: "It's a bit daunting in events. You're travelling with quite a lot of kit that's worth quite a lot of money, so you're always scared it's not going to get there, or all in one piece. You're also scared to put the bow on the plane, in case they don’t let you bring it.
“It's an experience because you're with a lot of people that obviously don't speak English. That in itself is quite daunting, but they're all really nice so it’s fine."
When she’s not away competing in events Evie spends her time as a normal teenager in Lytham. “Typically at home, I try to go and train about three times a week,” Evie continues. “Most of the time I'll have competitions on the weekend.”
“I've just finished college, I work part time, and I'm going to Manchester Metropolitan University in September to study sport and exercise science."
"There are people that are professional, but I can only take it so far. I'm doing uni and then getting a job. The plan for next year is to move into senior competition, as I will be too old for my current discipline.”