Nicole Sanders and Jord van Weeren claim the women’s and men’s singles titles after already winning mixed doubles gold
The Netherlands completed a spectacular clean sweep at the European Championship of Champions 2026 in Ankara, with Nicole Sanders and Jord van Weeren winning the women’s and men’s singles titles after teaming up to take mixed doubles gold earlier in the championship.
The final day at Rollhouse Bilkent delivered two exciting best-of-three finals, with both Dutch players showing their strength under pressure to finish the championship as individual European champions.
The achievement gives the Netherlands all three gold medals available at ECC 2026.
Sanders crowned women’s singles champion
Nicole Sanders of the Netherlands is the ECC 2026 Women’s Singles Champion after defeating Alexandra Giannadaki of Greece 2–0 in the final.
Sanders produced an impressive run through the championship. After starting 17th following the opening block, she climbed steadily through the standings and finished qualifying in third position. After the additional eight-game Final Step 1, she remained third with 6,203 pins, earning a place in the semifinals.
Giannadaki entered the semifinals as the leading player after 32 games, with 6,546 pins, while Ireland’s Hannah Masterson was second with 6,327. Sweden’s Hanna Engberg completed the top four alongside Sanders.
In the first semifinal, Giannadaki defeated Engberg 2–0, winning 201–179 and 222–208.
Sanders then faced Masterson in the second semifinal. The Dutch player won a closely contested opening game 203–199, before taking the second 226–212 to secure a 2–0 victory and her place in the final.
The championship match saw Sanders take control immediately. She opened with 204 against Giannadaki’s 176 and then closed out the title with a 223–192 victory.
With a 2–0 win, Sanders secured her first ECC singles gold medal and added another title to the mixed doubles gold she had already won with van Weeren.
Women’s Singles Medalists
Gold – Nicole Sanders — Netherlands
Silver – Alexandra Giannadaki — Greece
Bronze – Hannah Masterson — Ireland
Bronze – Hanna Engberg — Sweden
Van Weeren comes from behind to win men’s title
The men’s singles final produced another dramatic comeback as Jord van Weeren of the Netherlands defeated Mathias Danielsen Otting of Norway 2–1.
Van Weeren finished fourth after the 32-game stage with 6,826 pins, behind England’s Raymond Teece, defending champion Lukáš Jelínek and Mathias Danielsen Otting. Teece led the standings with 7,057, while Jelínek was second with 7,024 and Otting third with 6,942.
The semifinals immediately changed the order at the top.
Van Weeren faced Teece, who had taken the qualifying lead with a perfect 300 game. Teece won the opening game 237–227, but van Weeren responded strongly, winning the second 233–217 and the deciding game 222–160 to advance 2–1.
In the other semifinal, Otting faced defending champion Jelínek. The Czech player started with a 256–243 victory, but Otting fought back to win 235–212 and 259–227, taking the match 2–1 and earning his place in the final.
The championship match followed another comeback script.
Otting took the opening game 236–205, putting the Norwegian one game away from the title. Van Weeren responded with a 194–166 win in game two, forcing a deciding third game.
The Dutchman then produced his best bowling when it mattered most, winning the deciding game 217–177 to take the match 2–1 and claim the ECC 2026 men’s singles title.
Men’s Singles Medalists
Gold – Jord van Weeren — Netherlands
Silver – Mathias Danielsen Otting — Norway
Bronze – Raymond Teece — England
Bronze – Lukáš Jelínek — Czech Republic
Sanders and van Weeren also take mixed doubles gold
The Netherlands had already made history earlier in the championship when Nicole Sanders and Jord van Weeren won the mixed doubles title.
The Dutch pair finished the eight-game competition with 3,446 pins, averaging 215.4 per game and finishing 141 pins ahead of Estonia.
Kaisa-Ly Lee and Kert Isakar took silver for Estonia with 3,305, while England’s Verity Crawley and Raymond Teece earned bronze with 3,227.
The mixed doubles result proved to be the beginning of an extraordinary championship for Sanders and van Weeren. They would go on to win both singles titles, giving the Netherlands gold in every ECC 2026 discipline.
Mixed Doubles Medalists
Gold – Nicole Sanders / Jord van Weeren — Netherlands
Silver – Kaisa-Ly Lee / Kert Isakar — Estonia
Bronze – Verity Crawley / Raymond Teece — England
A golden championship for the Netherlands
ECC 2026 in Ankara produced a memorable week of European bowling, with national champions from across Europe competing in mixed doubles and singles at Rollhouse Bilkent.
The singles competition featured 24 games of qualifying before the top 12 advanced to an additional eight-game Final Step. The top four then progressed to best-of-three semifinals and finals, producing a dramatic conclusion to the championship.
For the Netherlands, the final medal table could hardly have been better.
Nicole Sanders and Jord van Weeren leave Ankara as double champions, having won mixed doubles together before claiming their respective women’s and men’s singles titles.
ECC 2026 — Medalists
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Women’s Singles | Nicole Sanders | Alexandra Giannadaki | Hannah Masterson / Hanna Engberg |
| Men’s Singles | Jord van Weeren | Mathias Danielsen Otting | Raymond Teece / Lukáš Jelínek |
| Mixed Doubles | Nicole Sanders / Jord van Weeren | Kaisa-Ly Lee / Kert Isakar | Verity Crawley / Raymond Teece |
The European Bowling Federation congratulates all medalists and participants on their performances at ECC 2026 and extends its thanks to the organisers, officials, volunteers, host venue and everyone who contributed to the successful staging of the championship in Ankara.
Congratulations to all ECC 2026 medalists!