İlke Özyüksel

İlke Özyüksel Mihrioğlu (born 26 February 1997) is a Turkish modern pentathlete.[1] She won the bronze medal in the women's individual event at the 2022 World Modern Pentathlon Championships held in Alexandria, Egypt.[2]

İlke Özyüksel
Özyüksel in 2023
Personal information
Full nameİlke Özyüksel Mihrioğlu
NationalityTurkish
Born (1997-02-26) 26 February 1997
Ankara, Turkey
Alma materAnkara University
Height1.67 m (5 ft 5+12 in)
Weight53 kg (117 lb)
Sport
Country Turkey
SportModern Pentathlon
ClubAltınordu S.K.
Medal record
Women's modern pentathlon
Representing  Turkey
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2022 AlexandriaIndividual
Bronze medal – third place2022 AlexandriaMixed relay
UIPM World Cup
Silver medal – second place2019 SzékesfehérvárIndividual
Bronze medal – third place2018 CairoIndividual
Bronze medal – third place2017 DrzonkówIndividual
Bronze medal – third place2017 CairoIndividual
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place2016 SofiaIndividual
Bronze medal – third place2017 MinskIndividual
European Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place2018 El Prat de LlobregatIndividual
Bronze medal – third place2017 BarcelonaIndividual
Silver medal – second place2016 DrzonkówIndividual
UIPM Youth "A" World Championships
Gold medal – first place2015 Buenos AiresIndividual
European Youth "B" Championships
Gold medal – first place2013 Minsk Individual
Silver medal – second place2012 WarsawIndividual

Private life

İlke Özyüksel was born to a retired worker father and a school counselor mother in Ankara on 26 February 1997. Her mother had lost her sight at the age of 15 due to ocular hypertension.[3] Despite her visual impairment, she finished her higher education as the highest-ranked student.[4]

İlke became very sick two weeks after her birth. 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 health again.[3] She was operated five times on vascular disease.[4]

She graduated from Ankara University's Department of Physical Education.[4]

Her father died from cancer by mid 2019.[4]

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.[3]

She won the gold medal at the UIPM 2015 Youth "A" World Championships held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.[5] At the same competition, she set two world records for youth, in overall with 1,065 points and in combined with a time of 11:55.00 and 585 points.[6] 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.[7] At the 2017 European Championships in Minsk, Belarus, she took the bronze medal.[8] In the Stage 4 of 2017 World Cup held in Drzonków, Poland, she won the bronze medal, and set a world record for juniors in combined with a time of 11:57.53 and 583 points.[6][9] Özyüksel captured the gold medal at the 2018 Modern Pentathlon Junior European Championships held in El Prat de Llobregat, 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.[10] She set world records in the running and the shooting events at the 2019 European Modern Pentathlon Championships held in Bath, United Kingdom.[11]

In 2019, she received the "Mustafa V. Koç Sports Award" worth of 250,000 (approx. USD 47,000). The prize was established jointly by the Koç Holding and the Turkish Olympic Committee in commemoration of the late Mustafa Vehbi Koç (1960–2016).[12]

A short movie focusing on her life and career named 'Ilke' is released in 2019.[13]

Özyüksel participated at the Tokyo Olympics and finished fifth.

She is a member of Altınordu Sports Club.[4]

Records

World Records[6]
EventRecordCompetitionLocationDate
Overall1,065 pointsUIPM Youth "A" World Championships FinalArgentina Buenos Aires31 August 2015
Combined11:55.00
585 points
Combined11:57.53
583 points
2017 World Cup Stage 4 FinalPoland Drzonków28 May 2017

References

  1. "Ilke Özyüksel". All Athletics. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
  2. "Micheli and Choong claim gold at UIPM World Championships in Alexandria". InsideTheGames.biz. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  3. "Önce ölümü aştı, sonra tarih yazdı". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 5 July 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  4. "7 dünya rekoru, olimpiyatlarda bir ilk, mucize gibi bir hayat; 2019 Mustafa V. Koç Spor Ödülü İlke Özyüksel'e verildi". T24 (in Turkish). 24 September 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  5. "Turkish athlete crowned modern pentathlon world champion, marking first". Hürriyet Daily News. 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
  6. "World Records". UIPM World Penthatlon. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  7. "Modern pentatlonda bir 'İlke'". Fanatik (in Turkish). 2016-06-17. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
  8. "İlke Özyüksel'den bronz madalya!". Milliyet (in Turkish). 22 July 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  9. Ata, Ercan (27 May 2017). "İlke Özyüksel, dünya rekoru kırarak bronz madalya kazandı". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  10. "Bakan Bak, İlke Özyüksel'i kutladı". Habertürk (in Turkish). 21 June 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  11. "İlke Özyüksel'den dünya rekoru". NTV Spor (in Turkish). 13 August 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  12. "İlke Özyüksel, "Mustafa V. Koç Spor Ödülü"nün sahibi oldu". Anadolu News Agency (in Turkish). 25 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  13. "Ilke".
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