Turkish wrestler Rıza Kayaalp is poised to participate in the Croatia European Championship to match the exceptional achievement of the iconic Russian Aleksandr Karelin in securing the coveted gold medal.
The tournament will be held April 17-23 in Zagreb, Croatia, and is of particular significance for Kayaalp, who has the title of Turkish wrestler with the most European and world championships.
Kayaalp has won 11 European championships in his career, and if he wins a gold medal in Zagreb, he will share the record with Karelin, who has 12 European titles.
The Turkish wrestler won gold medals in European championships in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022, as well as silver medals in 2011.
Last year, Kayaalp won the top spot in the Greco-Roman style 130 kg at the World Wrestling Championship in Serbia, making history as the first Turkish wrestler to win the world championship for the fifth time.
He was also the European and world champion in 2021 and took the top spot in the World Wrestling Association's 2022 world rankings.
Kayaalp is one of the most prominent names in Turkish sports and has won three Olympic medals in his career, including bronze at London 2012 and Tokyo 2020 and silver at Rio 2016.
He aims to finish his career on a high note by winning a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA), Kayaalp expressed his goal of equaling the record of Aleksandr Karelin in the number of European championships in Croatia and breaking it next year.
He also noted the significance of this year's European Championship for him.
"I caught Karelin in the number of finals in the European championships, the number of medals is the same, but I am behind in the number of championships. I want to be the European champion for the 12th time and equal Karelin's record. If I take a podium spot in Croatia, I will surpass Karelin in the number of medals in the European championships. Karelin is a legendary athlete; he has won 12 European and nine world championships. Therefore, equaling and breaking his record would be an important achievement," he said.
Kayaalp also emphasized the team's objective to rank highly and win numerous medals. "As a team, we aim to have a championship with plenty of medals. Everyone does their work according to that," he said.
Kayaalp noted that his preparations for the European Championship are almost complete, and he feels physically fit.
He acknowledged that becoming a European champion in Greco-Roman style is a challenging feat, but he is determined to accomplish it.