Seher Öztürk’s judo journey was thought to be over. A prodigy-turned-coach, she hung up her belt 13 years ago after a string of injuries. But in April, driven by the very athletes she mentors, the 33-year-old mother, coach and former national team member returned to the mat – and won gold.
Her comeback victory at the Turkish Veterans Championship wasn’t just personal redemption.
It was a rallying point for her students, many of whom had pleaded with her to compete to lift their own spirits ahead of a grueling training season.
“They told me, ‘Hadi yapabilirsin hocam’ – ‘You can do it, coach,’” said Öztürk, who now coaches at the Sivas Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports. “They believed in me. I believed in them. We did it together.”
Öztürk first stepped onto the tatami at 12, guided by a PE teacher at her boarding school in Sivas.
A year later, she placed third at the national championships, earned a spot on the national team, and quickly collected accolades at home and abroad.
Her rise, however, was cut short.
At the 2007 European Youth Olympic Festival in Serbia, she sustained a serious injury. After a long recovery, she tried to return at the 2012 Interuniversity Championships, only to be injured again – a blow that ended her competitive career at 21.
Instead of quitting the sport, Öztürk shifted to coaching, earning a degree in Physical Education at Erciyes University. Since 2015, she has trained young athletes in Sivas, balancing her role as a coach with motherhood.
When her students recently asked her to lead by example and compete, she hesitated. “At first, I didn’t want to,” she admitted. “But I knew how much it would mean to them.”
On April 20, she stepped back onto the mat at the Turkish Veterans Championship in Ankara – and walked off as national champion. Her comeback win earned her a ticket to the upcoming Balkan Championships, where she aims to drape the Turkish flag across her shoulders again.
“There's still a fire in me,” Öztürk said. “I want to hear the İstiklal Marşı (National Anthem), feel that pride once more.”
One of her students, Melike Nimet Karakaya, said the timing of her coach’s comeback couldn’t have been better.
“The January-to-spring training block is brutal,” Karakaya said. “We were tired, mentally and physically. We asked her for a morale boost – and she gave us a championship. Now we want to be champions too.”
