Turkish ‘nurse kickboxer’ becomes European champion

ISTANBUL

A young woman who is both a nurse and a national athlete has come in first in the European Kickboxing Championships in November, while her biggest dream is to win a gold medal at the Olympics.

“You have to want to succeed. I continued to do sports while continuing my education. Although it is stressful and difficult, I do both with pleasure,” said Duygu Turan.

Working as a nurse in a hospital in Istanbul’s Şişli district, she nabbed the gold medal at the European Kickboxing Championship organized by the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO) in the southern province of Antalya in November.

Turan also started her second bachelor’s degree at Istanbul University’s Physical Education Faculty after graduating second in Kocaeli University’s nursing department.

The 29-year-old has been world champion three times and European champion five times so far, while she was also named “the best female fighter” in Europe.

“My goal is to continue my career undefeated,” said Turan, who has not been defeated in any of her matches for nine years.

Kickboxing has been recognized by the Olympic Committee, and is now considered a semi-Olympic branch, Turan noted. “If kickboxing becomes Olympic, my goal is Olympic champion.”

Turan said she often encounters questions such as “Do women also do this sport?” and “Do women fight?”

“Unfortunately, there is a perception in society that this sport is a male sport and that women cannot do it as if some things are only for men, not only in sports but also in many other fields.”

“However, we, women, are everywhere, we exist, and we will continue to exist,” she said, suggesting that female athletes have achieved more success and brought more medals to the country than males.

Stating that her biggest supporter is her family, Turan said “Our relatives call my mother and say nonsense like ‘Isn’t it a pity for that girl.’ However, neither my family nor I take these comments seriously.”