From hundreds of medals to breaking records, Ayşe Babür from Eskişehir has dominated national and international competitions for 57 years. At the 17th Balkan Masters Indoor Championships, the master athlete broke her Turkish and Balkan record in the triple jump by 5 centimeters, soaring to 6.57 meters.
"God forbid, if I had been injured, my effort for a year would have been wasted," said the 67-year-old Babür, who has not left sports since being discovered by her teacher in the fourth grade of primary school.
Babür, a seasoned athlete with 57 years of experience, has excelled in various disciplines, including the triple jump, hammer throw, and high jump.
After training at Eskişehir Technical University (ESTU) athletics hall of the Faculty of Sports Sciences, Babür, accompanied by academicians, competed in the Balkan Masters Indoor Championships held in Istanbul on March 18-19.
Remarkably, she surpassed her previous record by 5 centimeters in the triple jump, achieving a remarkable distance of 6.52 meters, thereby securing the gold medal.
Additionally, Babür demonstrated her remarkable athletic prowess by leaping to a height of 1.05 meters, achieving yet another gold medal in the high jump event.
"We did weight and track exercises, and I had a good training period without getting injured. I succeeded when I jumped 6.57 meters in the triple jump discipline, breaking both Türkiye and the Balkan records. In the high jump, I jumped 1.05 meters and won the gold medal. I improved my own record in the 3-step jump. I beat my own record in a year," she said.
The seasoned athlete maintains a consistent daily training routine, aiming to add new victories to her resume and surpass her records.
Babür, a retired civil servant, told Anadolu Agency (AA) she was one of the 463 athletes in the 17th Balkan Masters Indoor Championships in Istanbul.
Unfortunately, Babür shared that she could not attend the Masters' World Athletics Championship held in Torun, Poland, from March 26 to April 1 due to economic constraints.
Despite the setback, she remains undeterred. She plans to compete in multiple categories, including the triple jump, high jump, hammer throw, and 4x4 relay race, at the upcoming Masters' Athletics Championships scheduled to be held in Istanbul later this month.
