Mete Gazoz, Ulaş Berkim Tümer and Muhammet Abdullah Yıldırmış, who won the first team medal in Turkish archery history at the Olympics, and their coach Yusuf Göktuğ Ergin, who carried them to these great successes, inspired the youth and sports fans at Near East University!
The pride of Turkish archery, Mete Gazoz, Ulaş Berkim Tümer and Muhammet Abdullah Yıldırmış and their coach Yusuf Göktuğ Ergin, who brought them to these great successes, met with the people of Cyprus at Near East University. The “Champions of a Century” talk, which was also attended by Abdullah Topaloğlu, Board Member of the Turkish National Olympic Committee and President of the Turkish Archery Federation, was organized in cooperation with the Near East University Faculty of Sports Sciences, Department of Coach Education and the TRNC Archery Federation.

At the event moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Deniz Erdağ, Head of the Department of Coach Education at Near East University Faculty of Sports Sciences, the athletes shared the behind-the-scenes of their successes in the international arena, their passion for archery and the emotions they experienced while representing the Turkish people with the participants in a sincere way. The inspiring stories of the athletes became a source of motivation for young people and sports fans.

I was born into archery!
After his championship in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Mete Gazoz, who won the World Champion title in 2023 and the European Champion title in 2024, made history by winning the first team medal in Turkish archery history with a bronze medal together with his teammates Ulaş Berkim Tümer and Muhammet Abdullah Yıldırmış. Gazoz said, “I have been involved in archery since I was born. My father was also an archer, and my coach is also my father’s teammate. Actually, I was born into the hands of the professional people I work with now, and I started shooting arrows when I was 3 years old.” Mete Gazoz stated that a new page opened in his life when he was selected for the National Team in 2013. Ulaş Berkim Tümer said that he started archery at the age of 9 and wore the National Team uniform for the first time in 2017. Muhammet Abdullah Yıldırmış, who started archery at the age of 10, stated that his journey began when he was selected for the archery team after an event organized in primary school.

Daily training time goes up to 11 hours!
The athletes, who stated that they have a very intense work tempo in their daily routines, stated that they enjoy this situation very much. Mete Gazoz, who said that they dedicated themselves to the sport of archery, said, “We train for an average of 8 hours every day. This intensity reaches up to 10-11 hours during the heavy training periods.” Gazoz said, “There are days when we train even before breakfast and after dinner”. Muhammet Abdullah Yıldırmış, who emphasized that they always train heavily, said, “We train tirelessly to achieve our goals.”

“They confuse me with Mete!”
Mete Gazoz, who said that the only major change he experienced in his social life after winning an Olympic medal, said, “I got recognized very quickly due to the fact that my last name also attracted attention. I am recognized a lot on the street. It is gratifying that everyone wants to take pictures, but sometimes it can be tiring. The next generation takes us as an example. This is the biggest responsibility on us. However, we do not feel pressure. Because what we are taught is that being ourselves is enough.” Ulaş Berkim Tümer said, “Mete became famous before us because he was an Olympic champion. We are just starting to be recognized. But since we have always been together with Mete, we were familiar with what he went through,” while Muhammet Abdullah Yıldırmış said, “They compare me to Mete. I also take pictures with people most of the time without making a fuss.”

The biggest challenge in my career is fighting myself!
Ulaş Berkim Tümer, who stated that the biggest challenge in his career was “fighting with myself”, said, “It took me time to learn, but as my experience increased, I climbed the steps quickly.” Muhammet Abdullah Yıldırmış expressed that he experienced stress due to the “unknown” in his first Olympic experience in his career. The athletes, who stated that the training tempo during the day was heavy but they gradually got used to it, said that these challenges did not seem to exist as they became successful.

Gazoz’s iconic move!
In the interview, he also told the story of the hand gesture he made as a show of joy. Gazoz told the story of his iconic move with the words, “When I first joined the camp in 2013, it was a move suggested by Sermet Çınar, who I love very much and is currently on our technical staff. He said you can do it when you become a world champion in the future. But the points I scored at that time were not even close to this goal. When I became a World Champion, it suddenly came to my mind and I did this move. Then it became synonymous with me.”

These achievements are the product of a vision that started in 2013!
At the event, National Archery Team Technical Director Göktuğ Ergin drew attention to the fact that the strategic breakthrough plan they put into practice in 2013 carried Turkish archery forward. Ergin emphasized that young talents were raised with the investments made in the infrastructure and said, “First, we worked to see children under the age of 15 as the youth of the Olympics.” Ergin stated that the first fruits of this plan were obtained in the 2016 Rio Olympics and said, “Two of our athletes who joined our National Team were the youngest athletes of the Olympics. The path they paved was a great example for the raising of many successful athletes.”

The biggest challenge is to plant the idea of ​​the Olympics in the minds of athletes!
Yusuf Göktuğ Ergin, who touched on the difficulties of achieving success at the Olympic level, stated that the biggest obstacle was to plant the idea of ​​the Olympics in the minds of athletes and said, “For Olympic success, it is necessary to get away from the comfort zone and push the limits. This process requires preparing the athlete in every aspect, both mentally and physically.”

“Their biggest common point is that they work without exaggerating anything!”
Stating that the young athletes work at a high tempo, Yusuf Göktuğ Ergin drew attention to the importance of creating team spirit and an environment of trust. Stating that his athletes approach this process with strong motivation, Ergin said, “They continue to train without exaggerating anything. This is their biggest common point that keeps them together. In my opinion, this trio has a very special psychological structure.” Speaking about the future goals of Turkish archery, Ergin said, “We are working to increase the quality of our increasing number of trainers and athletes at the same rate. We are constantly organizing training activities for our athletes and trainers.” and expressed that Turkish archery looks to the future with confidence.

Legends have become Near Easterners!

The legendary athletes of archery, who won everyone’s hearts with their sympathetic attitudes and sincere conversations, wore the Near East University t-shirts given to them as a gift after the talk and had their souvenir photos taken. They had unforgettable moments by taking lots of photos with their fans of all ages in the hall. The champions, who were an inspiration to both adults and children with their energy and sincere approach, were sent off with a flood of love from the hall.