Turkish Olympic silver-winning karateka Eray Şamdan clinched a gold medal on the first day of the 19th Mediterranean Games late Sunday.
Şamdan, 24, claimed a 5-0 victory against Algeria's Ala Salmi in the men's kumite 60-kilogram event in the coastal city of Oran, Algeria.
Earlier in the day, another Turkish athlete, Tuba Yakan claimed bronze in the women's 55-kilogram kumite after defeating Ariannne Miles Gonzales of the Greek Cypriot administration.
Nearly 3,400 athletes from 26 countries are competing in a total of 24 disciplines at the Oran Olympic Stadium in Algeria.
With 321 athletes, Turkey has the third-largest contingent at this year's competition.
Italy sent the largest team consisting of 371 athletes, followed by host Algeria with 324. Another regional powerhouse France will send 313 athletes.
Turkey will look to better its medal tally at the last Mediterranean Games in Spain, where it fielded 345 athletes.
The Mediterranean Games, a multisport event organized by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM), is held every four years among countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia, and Europe.
