Türkiye has secured spots for six athletes ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, hosted by France from July 26 to Aug. 11.
Among the athletes set to represent Türkiye are Kaan Kigen Özbilen, Sultan Haydar, Ersu Şaşma, Salih Korkmaz, Yasmani Copello and Meryem Bekmez, each excelling in their respective disciplines.
Yasmani Copello stands out with his remarkable achievements, setting Turkish records and clinching medals in prestigious competitions.
His outstanding performance includes setting the Turkish record in the 400-meter hurdles, achieving a time of 49.73 in July 2015, and later lowering it to 48.46 at the World Championships in Beijing.
In the 2016 European Championships in Amsterdam, he secured a gold medal with a personal best and Turkish record of 48.42.
Sultan Haydar's journey to Olympic excellence began with a bronze medal in the 800 meters at the 2005 African Junior Athletics Championships.
After becoming a Turkish citizen, the Ethiopian-born athlete achieved numerous milestones, including winning the gold medal in the 1,500 meters at the 2009 European Under-23 Athletics Championships and setting the women's marathon Turkish record with a time of 2:25:09 at the 2012 Paris Marathon.
Ersu Şaşma's pole vaulting prowess has earned him accolades, including a gold medal at the 19th Mediterranean Games in Oran, Algeria, with a 5.75-meter jump.
He also broke the Games record at the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games in Konya with a 5.60-meter jump, securing another gold medal.
Salih Korkmaz has made a mark in race walking, winning silver at the 2016 World Junior Athletics Championships in the 10,000-meter race walk with a time of 40:45.53, setting a new Turkish record.
He also claimed silver at the 2017 European Athletics Under-23 Championships in the 20-kilometer race walk.
Meryem Bekmez has showcased her talent in race walking, breaking records and winning medals.
She set a Turkish record of 22:50.22 in the 5,000-meter race walk at the 2016 European Youth Athletics Championships in Tbilisi and won silver in the 10,000-meter race walk at the 2018 World Athletics Under-20 Championships.
Kaan Kigen Özbilen, a Kenyan-born national athlete competing in long-distance and marathons, secured a silver medal in the half marathon at the 2016 European Championships in Amsterdam with a time of 1:02:27.
Athletics has a rich history in Türkiye, with notable achievements dating back to the Ottoman Empire.
Vahram Papazyan was the first athlete to represent the Ottoman Empire in athletics at the 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens. Competing in the 800-meter and 1500-meter races, Papazyan became the youngest athlete in those games at 13 years and 224 days old.
Ruhi Sarıalp made history at the 1948 London Olympics, winning Türkiye's first medal in athletics with a bronze in the triple jump.
This achievement remained unmatched until Eşref Apak's silver medal win in the hammer throw at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Yasami Copello, born in Cuba and representing Türkiye, continued the legacy by winning the bronze medal in the men's 400-meter hurdles at the 2016 Rio Olympics, securing Türkiye's third medal in athletics.
Copello's success highlights Türkiye's growing presence and competitiveness in athletics on the world stage.
