İlke Özyüksel

İlke Özyüksel
Personal information
Nationality Turkey
Born (1997-02-26) February 26, 1997
Sport
Country  Turkey
Sport Modern Pentathlon
Medal record
Representing  Turkey
Modern Pentathlon
Junior European Championships
2018 BarcelonaIndividual
UIPM Youth A World Championships
2015 Buenos AiresIndividual

İlke Özyüksel (born February 26, 1997) is a Turkish female modern pentathlete.[1]

Private life

Özyüksel was born to a retired worker father and a school counselor mother, who had lost her sight at the age of 15 due to ocular hypertension. She became very sick two weeks after her birth on February 26, 1997. In the beginning, it was thought that she had cancer. However, a Turkish physician working in the United States, who was in Turkey for a three-day conference, diagnosed her with Infantile hemangioma, which can be fatal if not treated. She underwent a laser therapy, and could get her heath again.[2]

Sports career

At the age of only nine, Özyüksel became champion at the World Championships for Cadets. In 2014, she decided to quit pentathlon upon suggestions of her coach. However, the Federation insisted in her career, and sent her for training to Hungary, where she stayed eleven months. After she broke a world record there, she became unwelcome by the Hungarian coach, and had to return home ahead of schedule. After her return, the Federation set up a 10-member team including a psychologist, a dietitian, a masseur and a physician, to prepare her for the Olympics. She trained eight hours a day for four and half months.[2]

She won the gold medal at the UIPM 2015 Youth A World Championships held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.[3] She earned a quota spot at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is the first ever Olympic modern pentathlon participant from Turkey.[4] Özyüksel captured the gold medal at the 2018 Modern Pentathlon Junior European Championships held in Barcelona, Spain. She broke the world record with a total of 1,376 points competing in the five events of fencing, swimming, riding and shootin events.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Ilke Özyüksel". All Athletics. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
  2. 1 2 "Önce ölümü aştı, sonra tarih yazdı". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 5 July 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  3. ↑ "Turkish athlete crowned modern pentathlon world champion, marking first". Hürriyet Daily News. 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
  4. ↑ "Modern pentatlonda bir 'İlke'". Fanatik (in Turkish). 2016-06-17. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
  5. ↑ "Bakan Bak, İlke Özyüksel'i kutladı". Habertürk (in Turkish). 21 June 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
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