Turkish athlete Azra Sarı, 21, who has achieved numerous national and international successes in arm wrestling, aims to secure a title at the new world championships after turning to the sport following a bet with her father.
Interested in fitness and various sports from a young age, Sarı shifted her focus to arm wrestling at 11 after a bet with her father about whether arm wrestling was a game or a sport.
After researching the topic and learning that it was indeed a sport, Azra joined the national team in 2016.
The athlete won a gold medal at the European Arm Wrestling Championship in Moldova last year and secured a gold medal in the left arm and a silver medal in the right arm at the World Arm Wrestling Championship held in Romania in 2021.
Now, Azra Sarı is setting her sights on winning new medals at the European Championships in Slovakia held on May 2-12 and the upcoming world championships.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), she said arm wrestling is her lifestyle.
She stated that becoming the European champion last year was one of her biggest achievements and added: "My life is passing by collecting medals and achievements. The reason I do not give up in this process is actually like a debt to that little Azra. Because I established this routine in line with her goals and dreams."
Emphasizing her efforts to add new successes to her achievements, Sarı said: "I have become the Turkish champion seven times and our biggest goal in this sport is to wave the Turkish flag and be able to hear the national anthem worldwide. This makes me very proud and is actually what drives me. Because the higher we raise the Turkish flag, the more proud we are. That's actually my goal. I do not leave the gym five to six days weekly to achieve new world championships."
Azra concluded by saying that she owes her success in arm wrestling to her family.
