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Gülsüm Tatar to be first Turkish female to box at the Olympics
Turkish President Abdullah Gül, his wife, Hayrunnisa Gül, and Tatar’s friend, national boxer Atagün Yalçınkaya, were all influential in her transferring to Kayseri. “I’d begun my sports career at Fenerbahçe, and I practiced the sport for seven years there. Now, I’ve transferred to Kayseri. In 2008, following my gold medal at the world championship, because we weren’t able to get our medals later, nine female boxer friends of mine and I wrote a letter to President Gül and his wife, Mrs. Gül.
“Later, they aided us in every way. My connection with Kayseri began during that period. Yalçınkaya, who placed second in the Olympics, is also from Kayseri and recommended the switch to me. I learned that here in Kayseri large investments are being made in sports, and there is great support for all branches of sport here. When I arrived here, I saw once again that I had made the right choice. I’m very happy I came to Kayseri. From now on, I want to score my successes here,” she said.
Olympic excitement
Tatar explained that she was busy preparing for the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Women’s World Championships to be held in Barbados this September, noting that she also plans to participate in the Turkish championship on Feb. 17-18, and, if selected, will continue to train with the national team.
Noting that she is to represent Turkey at the 2012 London Olympics, Tatar says that she’s already excited about the games. “I’ll do my best to represent Turkey in the best way,” she said, adding that it was a distinct kind of excitement knowing she’ll be the first woman to represent Turkey in boxing at the Olympics.
Kayseri Birlikspor Club President Hasetçi noted that previously there was no women’s boxing category in the Olympics and that 2012 will be the inauguration of this competition. Tatar was the first Turkish female boxer to be invited to the Olympics, he said, adding that her participation had been confirmed, while the other two of three Turkish athletes invited to the games still have to pass preliminaries.
Tatar began her boxing career with Fenerbahçe when she was 17 years old and won gold the European Women’s Boxing Championships in 2004, placed second in the 2005 Women’s World Amateur Boxing Championships and took home gold in the 2008 AIBA Women’s World Amateur Boxing Championships and the VII European Women Championship in 2009.
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