TC athletes leap to success in Turkey

YOUNG Turkish Cypriot athletes notched up successes in the Naili Moran Under-16 Athletics Festival when it was held in İzmir, Turkey, last weekend.

Turkish Cypriot Taygun Derviş did the sprint double in the 14-year-old age group, winning the 100m in a time of 11.88 seconds and the 200m in 23.79s, as well as taking the long jump title with a leap of 5.44m.

Tezer Tayanç was 10th in the same 100m event in a time of 13.21, but won the age group’s high jump, clearing 1.55m.

In the events for 15-year-old girls, Petek Öztürk was second in the 100m in 14.19s and fifth in the 200m in 30.98s. Selvihan Dural took third in both the age group’s 200m (30.07s) and the 80m hurdles (14.69s). She took sixth in the long jump (4.57m) followed by Petek in seventh (4.50m).

Heading the TRNC delegation to the festival was Athletics Federation head Halil Samani and coach Berk Tuna.