Turkish nat’l karate team electric ahead of European Championships
PREPARING for the European Karate Championships, the Turkish national karate team is training in Girne, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), with the goal of becoming champions once again.
Coach Adnan Şamdan expressed his excitement for the tournament and highlighted the importance of Türkiye’s support.
The team is training intensively with 27 karatekas, aiming to finalize the squad after a camp in Egypt.
Choosing Girne for their training camp was also a way to support and raise awareness of the city before the 2024 European Championships.
Coach Şamdan noted that the team has been performing well, citing their past successes, including winning the team championship in Europe in 2022 and achieving significant results in last year’s world and European championships.
The team’s goal remains the same – to make Türkiye the champion of the tournament. They will compete with 16 athletes in Croatia, aiming to bring the championship to their country once again.
Tuba Yakan, a former world and European champion, expressed her desire to continue her success and bring home the gold medal from Croatia.
She emphasized the importance of hearing the national anthem and seeing the Turkish flag raised in international competitions.
Eray Şamdan, who won Türkiye’s first karate medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, aims to reach the top both individually and as a team in Croatia.
He highlighted Türkiye’s strength in karate and expressed his ambition to win his third European championship.
The team’s morale and motivation are high and they look forward to Turkish fans’ support in Croatia.
They are determined to perform at their best and succeed individually and as a team.