Turkish female wrestler Yasemin Adar Yiğit claimed her second world title in the Serbian capital Belgrade Wednesday.
Yiğit won the gold medal by beating Egypt’s Samar Hamza in the 76-kilogram freestyle final at the 2022 World Wrestling Championship.
She beat her Egyptian opponent 6-0 in the last match of Day 5 at Belgrade’s Stark Arena.
On her way to the final, Yiğit defeated Kazakhistan’s Gulmaral Yerkebayeva 10-0 in the second round. She then beat Japan’s Yuka Kagami 4-2 in the quarterfinals, before edging Ecuadorian Genesis Reasco Valdez 4-3 in the semifinals.
"I’ve become the world champion for a second time after 2017. I always try to represent Turkish women in the best possible way. I try to show the power of Turkish women." she said after winning gold in Belgrade.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated Yiğit after her win. "We are happy that you won a second world championship. Congratulations," he said in a phone call.
Yiğit, the only world champion Turkish female wrestler, won her first global title gold at the 2017 World Championship in Paris.
She is also the first and only female wrestler to win an Olympic medal for Türkiye. Yiğit led her country to the 76-kilogram freestyle bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Besides, two world titles and an Olympics bronze, the 30-year-old has five European Championship titles to her name, making her one of the most decorated Turkish female wrestlers in history.
Her last continental title came at the 2022 European Championships held in the Hungarian capital Budapest.
Yiğit said they want to inspire Türkiye’s next generation of female wrestlers. "We have young girls who will come after us. I try to be a role model for them. There was no one I could take as an example and had to begin my struggle by dreaming. I believe that we can achieve good results if I can set an example for our younger generation.”
Yiğit reminded that she personally, and the national team, have set their sights on the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"We are a team capable of making history. We are always breaking new ground and taking women's wrestling forward. Our current goal is of course the 2024 Paris Olympics,” she said.
Underlining that she aims to become an Olympic champion in Paris, Yasemin added: “I want to represent my country (in Paris) in the best way possible. I want to fly my flag and sing the national anthem."
At the end of Day 5 at the World Wrestling Championship, Turkey has a total of six medals, three gold and three bronze.
