Evin Demirhan Yavuz, an accomplished Turkish female wrestler, has recently shared her aspirations of becoming the first Turkish woman to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling.
Yavuz, who won a gold medal at the European Championships in Budapest last year, as well as at the Mediterranean Games, spoke to the AA correspondent about her impressive career and future goals.
Unfortunately, a minor injury following the Mediterranean Games put an end to Yavuz's season, and the earthquake disaster that took place before the 2023 European Championships in Zagreb affected her psychologically, ultimately leading to her winning the bronze medal instead of the gold medal.
Despite this setback, Yavuz has won an impressive 20 medals in European and world champions (all age groups), making her the first athlete to do so in the history of women's wrestling.
Looking toward the future, Yavuz's main goal is to win an Olympic gold medal, which is currently the only medal missing from her collection.
She is proud to have won a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where Yasemin Adar Yiğit won a bronze medal as well, making it a historic moment for Turkish women's wrestling.
However, Yavuz's ultimate goal is to bring home the first Olympic gold medal for Türkiye in women's wrestling.
The Olympic quotas will be distributed in the 2023 World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia and Yavuz is determined to get the quota there and prepare strongly for the Olympics.
She expressed her desire to bring pride and glory to her country by winning the gold medal in her weight class, which is notoriously difficult to compete in.
Despite the challenges, Yavuz believes that Turkish women's wrestling has made significant progress in recent years.
The team's success has been increasing day by day, with many firsts, such as the team reaching the European Championships in seniors last year.
Yavuz is grateful for the opportunities and support that she has received from ASKI Sports Club and believes that the team's success is a reflection of their hard work and dedication.