Türkiye's Şevval İlayda Tarhan Sunday claimed the gold medal in the women’s 10m air pistol final at the European Championship in Osijek, Croatia, with an outstanding score of 240.8 points.
The victory marks a significant milestone for Tarhan, further solidifying her place as one of the sport's rising stars.
In addition to Tarhan's individual triumph, the Turkish women's shooting team earned a bronze medal at the championship.
The team, consisting of Tarhan, Şimal Yılmaz and Esra Bozabalı, accumulated enough points to secure third place in the women's 10-meter air pistol event.
Tarhan's gold medal win was celebrated by Türkiye's Youth and Sports Minister, Osman Aşkın Bak, who praised the athlete’s outstanding performance.
"We congratulate Şevval İlayda Tarhan for her gold medal at the European Championship in Osijek. Her victory brings us immense pride, and we wish her continued success in her future endeavors," said Bak in his official message.
Born on Feb. 4, 2000, in Ankara, Tarhan has made remarkable progress in shooting since starting the sport at a young age, encouraged by her mother.
Despite no family background in law enforcement, her early fascination with firearms and uniforms led her to pursue a career in shooting.
Tarhan's journey in the 10-meter air pistol category began in 2015 when she joined the Osmanlı Shooting Club in Ankara.
She set a national junior record in 2018 at the ISSF World Shooting Championship in Changwon, South Korea, scoring 237.9 points and winning a gold medal in the Youth category.
That same year, she also broke the European Youth Record at the European Championship in Osijek, Croatia.
Her accolades continued in 2019, with another gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in Suhl, Germany.
Tarhan has proven her ability to shine on the international stage, taking part in major competitions such as the 2022 ISSF World Cup in Baku, where she won a bronze medal with partner Yusuf Dikeç in the mixed team event.
She also finished fourth at the 2022 Mediterranean Games in Oran, Algeria.
In 2022, Tarhan set a new European women’s team record with teammates Elif Beyza Aşık and Seher Tokmak, scoring 861 points at the European 10-meter Shooting Championship in Hamar, Norway.
In 2023, she claimed a bronze medal at the European Championship in Tallinn, Estonia, and a silver medal in the Mixed Team event at the ISSF World Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan.
While she did not medal at the 2023 European Games in Wroclaw, Poland, she made it to the ranking round.
Tarhan’s breakthrough continued into the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she placed 7th in the 10-meter air pistol individual final and secured a silver medal in the mixed team event with Dikeç.
This marked Türkiye’s first-ever Olympic medal in the 10-meter air pistol category.
