Over 100 athletes to represent Turkey in Summer Olympics
ANKARA
The long-delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, slated for July 23-Aug. 8, will host more than 100 Turkish athletes in 18 branches.
Representing Turkey in the 2020 Summer Olympics that will be held in Tokyo, Japan will be 108 athletes - the largest-ever Olympic team from the country after 114 athletes in the London 2012 Summer games.
A record 58 male Olympians will compete for their nation, eclipsing 57 in the 1936 Berlin and 1948 London games.
Fifty female athletes are set to strongly represent the country. This will be the second-most female Olympians representing Turkey after the London Olympics in 1966.
The Olympics, which pushed ahead from last year because of the pandemic, will be held from July 23 to Aug. 8, followed by the Paralympic Games from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5.
National women's volleyball team to clash for medal
The Turkish women's national volleyball team will play against China, the U.S., Argentina, Italy, and Russia in Group B.
The players included in the squad are Naz Aydemir Akyol, Cansu Özbay, Meryem Boz, Ebrar Karakurt, Meliha Ismailoğlu, Hande Baladin, Şeyma Ercan, Tuğba Şenoğlu, Eda Erdem Dündar, Zehra Güneş, Kubra Akman, Aslı Kalaç, Simge Akçz, and Ayca Aykaç.
Though 14 players have been invited, Italian coach Giovanni Guidetti will finalize his 12-woman squad.
National athletes
Athletics (25): Emel Dereli (Shot put), Ramil Guliyev (200 meters), Abdulselam Imuk, Ayse Tekdal, Meryem Pekmez, Evin Demir, Sahin Senoduncu, Salih Korkmaz (20 kilometer racewalking), Yasmani Copello Escobar (400 meters hurdles), Yasemin Can (5,000 and 10,000 metre run), Eda Tüğsüz (Javelin throw), Meryem Erdoğan, Yavuz Ağralı, Polat Kemboi Arıkan, Kagan Kigen Özbilen (Marathon), Ersu Şaşma (pole vault ), Tuğçe Şahutoğlu, Özkan Baltacı, Eşref Apak (Hammer throw), Necati Er (triple jump), Jak Ali Harvey, Emre Zafer Barnes (100 m, 4×100 m relay race ), Kayhan Özer, Oğuz Uyar, Ertan Özkan (4 × 100 m relay).
Shooting (4): Yusuf Dikeç, Ismail Keleş (10 m air pistol), Ömer Akgün (10 m air rifle), Özgür Varlık (25 m rapid fire pistol).
Badminton (1): Neslihan Yiğit.
Bicycle (2): Ahmet Orken, Onur Balkan (Road bicycle racing).
Boxing (6): Batuhan Çiftçi (52 kg), Buse Naz Çakıroğlu (51 kg), Esra Yıldız (60 kg), Busenaz Sürmeneli (69 kg), Necati Ekinci (69 kg), Bayram Malkan (81 kg).
Gymnastics (5): Ibrahim Çolak, Nazli Savranbaşı, Ahmet Önder, Adem Asıl, Ferhat Arıcan (Artistic gymnastics).
Fencing (1): Irem Karamete.
Wrestling (9): Riza Kayaalp (Greco-Roman 130 kg), Cenk Ildem (Greco-Roman 97 kg), Kerem Kamal (Greco-Roman 60 kg), Evin Demirhan (Women's 50 kg), Yasemin Adar (Women's 76 kg), Taha Akgül (Freestyle 125 kg), Suleyman Atli (Freestyle 57 kg), Osman Göçen (Freestyle 86 kg), Süleyman Karadeniz (Freestyle 97 kg).
Weightlifting (2): Muhammed Furkan Ozbek (67 kg), Nuray Levent (64 kg).
Judo (6): Kayra Sayit (+78 kg), Mihraç Akkuş (60 kg), Bilal Çiloğlu (73 kg), Vedat Albayrak (81 kg), Michael Zgank (90 kg), Gülkader Şentürk (48 kg).
Karate (7): Dilara Bozan, Ali Sofuoğlu (Kata), Serap Özçelik Arapoğlu (Kumite 55 kg), Meltem Hocaoğlu Akyol (Kumite +61 kg), Uğur Aktaş (Kumite +75 kg), Merve Çoban (Kumite +61 kg), Eray Samdan (Kumite 67 kg).
Rowing (1): Onat Kazaklı (Men's single sculls).
Modern pentathlon (1): Ilke Özyüksel.
Archery (2): Yasemin Ecem Anagöz (women's individual recurve archery), Mete Gazoz ( recurve men’s individual event).
Taekwondo (5): Nafia Kuş (+67 kg), Rukiye Yıldırım (49 kg), Hatice Kübra Ilgün (57 kg), Nur Tatar (67 kg), Hakan Recber (68 kg).
Sailing (8): Deniz Çınar, Ateş Çınar (Men's 470), Alican Kaynar (Finn), Beste Kaynakçı, Okyanus Arıkan (Women's 470), Ecem Güzel (Laser radial), Dilara Uralp (Windsurfing), Onur Cavit Biriz (Windsurfing).
Swimming (11): Berke Saka (200 m backstrokes), Berkay Ömer Öğretir (100 m and 200 m breaststroke), Merve Tuncel (400 m, 800 m, and 1500 m freestyle ), Ümit Can Gureş (100 m butterfly stroke), Emre Sakçı (100 m breaststroke), Deniz Ertan (800 m and 1500 m freestyle), Beril Böcekler (400 m 800 m and 1500 m freestyle), Viktoria Zeynep Güneş (200 m mixed), Defne Taçyıldız (200 m butterfly), Baturalp Ünlü (200 m freestyle), Yiğit Aslan (800 m freestyle).