Eda Özrodop, a 16-year-old national athlete, is preparing for the second leg of the Turkish championships with the goal of winning the gold medal.
Özrodop, who secured third place in the European Modern Pentathlon Championships last year, has been working hard to improve her performance by training every day with her coaches.
The championships will take place in Ankara on May 5-7, where she will attempt to secure a spot for the European Under-17 and Under-19 Modern Pentathlon Championships in Lithuania from June 1-9.
Özrodop, a high school 10th grade student, began her sports career in swimming and later added running, shooting and fencing to her repertoire in the modern pentathlon discipline.
She now juggles the pool, the fencing hall and the athletics track.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Özrodop expressed her aspirations to become the European and World Champion in the modern pentathlon.
She said, "Last year, I secured third place in the Under-17 category in Europe. This year, I aim to train harder, work more, and become the European champion."
Özrodop's intense daily routine starts at 6:30 a.m. with jogging and shooting training, followed by a two-hour workout session.
She then has breakfast and attends school.
After school, she switches to swimming training and completes strength training.
Her fencing training starts at 7:30 p.m. and lasts for about two hours. She then returns home for dinner and studies until 1:00-1:30 a.m.
Despite the grueling schedule, she remains committed to achieving her goals.
Her coaches have expressed confidence in Özrodop's ability to achieve even greater success.
Her swimming coach, İlyas Aziz, stated that the goal of every coach and athlete is the championship.
He expressed hope that they would secure a spot on the national team and win medals at the European and World Championships.
Athletics coach İshak Kaya, who has been working with Özrodop for six years, described her as a talented athlete. He expressed confidence that they would achieve their goals by continuing to work hard together.
Emre Altunkaya, the fencing coach of modern pentathlon athletes in Bursa, also expressed his belief that Özrodop would be successful with her talent.
He confirmed that they were preparing for the European championship and that their studies were going well.
Özrodop is determined to win the gold medal at the national championships and bring home a medal from the European and World Championships.
With the support of her coaches and her unrelenting work ethic, she has the potential to become a champion in the sport of modern pentathlon.
