The Turkish national taekwondo team wrapped up their preparations for the Senior European Taekwondo Championships, scheduled for May 10-12 in Serbia, in Konya.
Head coach Ali Şahin expressed the team's ambitions, aiming to clinch gold, silver, and all other medals at the upcoming championship, highlighting their track record of success with numerous medals already under their belt.
The team, comprising eight national athletes, has been in camp for three weeks under the supervision of coach Ali Şahin, gearing up for the European Championships, which serve as a significant test before the Paris Olympics.
Şahin emphasized their pursuit of every possible medal, underscoring Türkiye's golden era in taekwondo and their relentless efforts to ascend to greater heights.
He highlighted the team's strong preparation matches, celebrating the women's world championship in Azerbaijan and the men's 3rd-place finish globally last year.
With a focus on progressing toward the Olympics, Şahin sees the European Championships as a pivotal trial and competition.
The team's overall successful camps aim for top performances, targeting the majority of gold medals at the European Championships.
Şahin highlighted Türkiye's consistent success in taekwondo, noting their top-three rankings globally and in Europe, with first place secured in two-thirds of these rankings.
He pointed out their championship at the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships and their world No. 1 status in all categories in 2022, boosting morale for the Olympics.
Despite the unpredictability of sports, they are preparing meticulously, focusing on enhancing their performance with special tactics and techniques.
Türkiye aims for great success in 2024, building on their history of securing medals in all Olympics and participating with the best quotas.
Their goal is to repeat their successes and win gold, silver, and all other medals in upcoming tournaments.
National taekwondo athlete Zeynep Taşkın, who began her career in 2011, has a decorated history, including being the European champion in youth categories, placing third in Europe in junior categories, and winning the Balkans championship.
Originally starting in gymnastics, a broken arm led her to switch to taekwondo.
Taşkın has been training intensively with Coach Ali for the European Championships over the past 2-3 weeks, noting the strength of their squad and the fantastic training they have had.
