Turkish athletes delivered a month of historic achievements in September, showcasing strength, skill, and determination across Olympic and Paralympic sports, and giving the nation plenty to celebrate.
The men’s national basketball team made waves at the 2025 EuroBasket in Riga, Latvia, winning all five group-stage games before dismantling Sweden and Poland to reach the semifinals.
Their dominance continued with a 94-68 triumph over Greece, but the final against Germany proved a heartbreaker.
Despite leading for much of the contest, Türkiye fell 88-83, securing silver – the country’s first EuroBasket medal since 2001.
Meanwhile, the women’s national volleyball team carved a place in history at the World Championship in Thailand.
Undefeated in the group stage, the 12 Giant Men overcame Slovenia, the United States, and Japan to reach the final, where a nail-biting five-set match ended 3-2 in favor of Italy.
The runners-up finish marked Türkiye’s first-ever medal at the tournament, a milestone for the program.
The Daredevils of the Net reached new heights at the World Championship in the Philippines, finishing sixth – their best-ever placement.
The team won all three group-stage matches while dropping just a single set, and advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in history before falling to world number one Poland.
Turkish wrestlers also stood on the podium in Croatia, earning three medals amid a generational transition.
Nesrin Baş captured silver in the women’s 72 kg. category, Evin Demirhan Yavuz took bronze in the 50 kg. women’s division, and Ahmet Yılmaz secured bronze in Greco-Roman 77 kg., underscoring the depth of the nation’s wrestling program.
Artistic gymnasts brought more gold from the World Challenge Cup in Hungary.
Ferhat Arıcan claimed two titles on the pommel horse and parallel bars, while Mehmet Ayberk Koşak took first in the rings, highlighting Türkiye’s growing strength in gymnastics.
Paralympic swimming also reached unprecedented heights as Defne Kurt dominated the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore, winning five gold medals across five events – 50m and 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 200m individual medley, and 100m backstroke – while breaking both championship and European records in the process. Türkiye’s tally at the meet reached ten medals, including five golds.
Para archery brought additional glory from the World Championships in South Korea, where Paris 2024 Paralympic champion Öznur Cüre Girdi medaled in all three categories she entered.
She won silver in the women’s individual compound, gold alongside Büşra Fatma Ün in the women’s team event, and silver in the mixed team competition with Kenan Babaoğlu.
Para athletics in India also saw record-breaking performances.
Aysel Önder set a world record in the women’s 400m T20 final with a time of 54.51 seconds, while Muhammet Khalvandi threw a world-record 53.30 meters in the TF57 javelin, each claiming gold. Additional podium finishes included silver for Ebrar Keskin and bronze for Hamide Doğangün.
