After falling just short in Paris, visually impaired Turkish judoka Döndü Yeşilyurt is back on the mat with her sights firmly set on Los Angeles 2028, determined to finish what she started.
The 32-year-old athlete, who began her sports career in para powerlifting, transitioned to judo in 2017 upon the recommendation of friends.
Since then, she has risen to the top ranks of the sport, capturing both world and European titles in the visually impaired category.
At the 2022 World Championships in Baku, Yeşilyurt stood atop the podium, followed by a gold medal at the 2023 European Championships in the Netherlands.
Despite her decorated resume, Paris 2024 left a void. Competing in the J2 -57 kg category, Yeşilyurt placed fifth, narrowly missing the medal podium.
That near miss now fuels her training at the Turkish Olympic Preparation Center (TOHM) in Samsun, where she is part of a joint training camp alongside members of the national youth and U-21 judo teams.
“The work didn’t end in Paris – it just paused,” Yeşilyurt told Anadolu Agency (AA). “Now I’m preparing harder than ever. I want to come back stronger for 2028.”
In the early part of this season, Yeşilyurt earned bronze at the World Cup in Georgia and helped lead the women’s national team to gold at the World Championships for the Visually Impaired held in Kazakhstan in May.
Her day-to-day training includes sessions under the guidance of national team head coach Sinan Sandal and coaches Rahman and Barış, in a high-performance environment she describes as both professional and inspiring.
She credits the support of her club, BOTAŞ Sports, and national leaders such as Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar and BOTAŞ General Manager Abdulvahit Fidan for fueling her ambition.
“I’ve been with BOTAŞ for four years,” she said. “With the motivation from our minister and club leaders, we are moving forward. I couldn’t reach my goal in Paris, but I want to win gold in Los Angeles, raise our flag, and hear our national anthem.”
Coach Sinan Sandal praised her commitment, noting that Yeşilyurt chose to continue training in Samsun outside of national team periods to stay in peak condition.
“She’s incredibly disciplined and determined,” Sandal said. “Even when she’s not with the national squad, she wants to train at TOHM. The young judokas here support her completely. We all want to see her succeed and finally complete the mission she began.”
