Turkey sends 27-member team to London for world championships

ISTANBUL

Turkey is hoping to win medals with a 27-member team at the World Athletics Championships, but the main target is to increase the number of athletes getting through to the finals, the country’s federation president has said.

Turkey has so far been represented in eight finals and won two medals at world championships, Fatih Çintimar told state-run Anadolu Agency, noting that the number of athletes to attend the event is a record for Turkey.

“We have the hope to add more medals to the two we have won so far, but the most important thing is to represent our country in the best way possible,” Çintimar said. 

“The priority for the athletes is to be in the finals. If you book a place in the finals, then your chances depend on the conditions and the athlete’s form that very day,” he added.

Çintimar said the Turkish team in London will be young.

“Some of our athletes who have recently participated in the U-19 championships have also been included in the squad. We will not put pressure on them, but every athlete in the team is targeting the final,” the federation president said.

One of those young names in the squad is javelin thrower Eda Tuğsuz, who won the women’s gold at the Islamic Cooperation Games in Baku with a throw of 67.21 meters, breaking the European U-23 record.

“I will compete in the seniors category for the first time, and I want to be in the finals to do my best,” she said, adding that the main target for her is the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“I have worked hard, and I’m happy to have received the reward for my efforts. I want to be on the podium in Tokyo, our country needs this success,” Tuğsuz said.