Pınar Saka

Pınar Saka (born 5 November 1985) is a Turkish female track running athlete in the sprint discipline competing in the categories 100 m, 200 m and 400 m. She is the Turkish national record holder for 400 m.[1] This time is the first time a Turkish woman ran under 52 seconds and also a qualifying mark for Olympics that will be held in London in 2012. She was chosen as Regional Athlete of the Year in Midwest both in 2008 and 2009. There were 8 regional athletes nominated for "National Athlete of the Year" award and in 2009, she receiveds that honor.

Pınar Saka
Personal information
NationalityTurkish
Born (1985-11-05) 5 November 1985[1]
Üsküdar, Istanbul, Turkey
Height163 cm (5 ft 4 in)
Weight53 kg (117 lb)[2]
Sport
CountryTurkey
Sporttrack and field
Event(s)100 m, 200 m and 400 m
ClubEnkaspor, Istanbul
Coached byÖznur Dursun
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
  • 100 m 11.93 (2003)
  • 200 m 23.97 (2003)
  • 200 m Indoor 23.90
  • 400 m 51.53 (2011) NR
  • 400 m Indoor 52.99 (2011) NR
Medal record
Women's athletics
European Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place2003Tampere100 m
Gold medal – first place2003 Tampere200 m
Gold medal – first place2003 Tampere4x400 m relay
Balkan Championships
Gold medal – first place2004 İstanbul400 m
Gold medal – first place2004 İstanbul4x400 m relay
Mediterranean Games
Bronze medal – third place2005 Almería4x400 m relay
NCAA
Gold medal – first place 2009 Lincoln 400 m
Gold medal – first place 2009 Lincoln 4x400 m relay
Universiade
Silver medal – second place 2011 Shenzhen 4x400 m relay
European Team Championships
Gold medal – first place2011 Izmir 4x400 m relay
Silver medal – second place2011 Izmir 400 m

Saka was born in Üsküdar, Istanbul. She studied international business at the University of Nebraska at Omaha in the USA.[1] The 163 cm (5 ft 4 in) tall athlete at 53 kg (117 lb) is a member of Enkaspor in Istanbul, where she is coached by Öznur Dursun.[3]

Saka participated at the 2005 Mediterranean Games in Almería, Spain in the categories 4x100 m relay, 400 m and 4x400 m relay. She ran bronze medal in the 4x400 m relay in 3:40.75 with her teammates Birsen Bekgöz, Özge Gürler and Binnaz Uslu.[4]

In 2011 Saka won the silver medal at the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen together with a team consisting of Nagihan Karadere, Merve Aydın and Meliz Redif, with a time of 3.31.05.

Saka qualified for participation in the 400 m event at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[3]

She is doing her MBA degree at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul.[3]

Doping

Pınar Saka was in 2013 sanctioned as a result of abnormalities detected in her biological passport. She was disqualified from 18 June 2010 and got three years ineligibility ending 23 May 2015.[5]

Achievements

Her personal best performances are:[1]

  • 100 m 11.93 (2003)
  • 200 m 23.97 (2003)
  • 200 m Indoor 23.90
  • 400 m 51.53 (2011) NR[6]
  • 400 m Indoor 52.99 (2011) NR[7][8]

NR: Turkish national record

References
  1. "2008-09 Women's Track and Field Roster". Official Site of University of Nebraska at Omaha Athletics. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
  2. "Saka Pinar". IAAF. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
  3. "Sporcular/Atletizm-Pınar Saka" (in Turkish). Gençlik ve Spor Bakanlığı-Türk Sporcular 2012 Londra Olimpiyatlarında. Archived from the original on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  4. Aydın, Mert (2005-07-03). "Elinize sağlık-Atletizmde de 2 bronz". Sabah (in Turkish). Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  5. "Athletes currently suspended from all competitions in athletics following an Anti-Doping Rule Violation as at: 26.06.14". iaaf.org. IAAF. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  6. "REKORLARLA BİTTİ" (in Turkish). www.yeniasir.com.tr. 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2011-05-23.
  7. "400 Metres Dash Results". www.directathletics.com. 2011-02-11. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
  8. "Pınar Saka'dan Türkiye Rekoru: 52.99!" (in Turkish). www.sporstudyosu.com. 2011-02-14. Archived from the original on 2011-02-27. Retrieved 2011-02-18.


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