Europe Triathlon

Triathlon and Turkey. Seems as if it has been around for years but in reality our perception is a little rusty. Triathlon has indeed been present and very active in Turkey since 1991. That was when, down in the beautiful resort of Alanya, where the Dutch used to go in their thousands to enjoy the endless sunshine, the clean and sandy beaches, the safe seas and clear visibility in the waters and of course the wonderful Turkish hospitality.

At the recent ETU Executive Board meeting we were shown a bit of history when Kris Piątkowski, ETU EB Member, shared his 1993 post race report. Back in those days the official in charge was called a General Race Marshal, of GRM. Back in those days Eurosport would film the race and put on a programme a few days later (once or two we even had live coverage of our Championships). Kris was in charge of a couple of the International events. Eugène Kraus, also on the ETU EB, was present and had previously been GRM for two events and having worked there as GRM and then Technical Delegate in 2002 and 2009 and since then as a technical official and race commentator I can say that the development on the sport in Turkey has been enormous.

In the past we went to Turkey because there was a triathlon but over the past few years there has been a change. The change is that now we are seeing a clear line of development of the sport, with athletes gaining experience, gaining confidence, growing in ability and as we saw last weekend, winning medals and prize-money in the ETU Rankings.

İlayda Kara won bronze in the Junior Women’s race. Gültigin Er had a solid race and moves in to the top 50 in the ETU Junior Rankings after his race in Alanya and Esra Nur Gökcek seems to get stronger and stronger. Jonas Schomburg racing against a strong field and still U23, performed well, showing why he is the ITU World U23 Aquathlon Champion.

Not so long ago there were reports of a staggering increase in participation as the Turkish Federation (Türkiye Triatlon Federasyonu) embraced the notion of triathlon as a “lifestyle sport”. This shift in focus enabled age-group athletes to truly benefit from the improved quality of races while at the same time, relying upon ETU Development guidance, providing the right sort of support for their newly arriving juniors and U23 athletes who were racing the ETU and ITU circuit.

Race officials were provided with guidance and education from ETU. Coaching was taken to a new level with the arrival of experienced international coach, Andrea Gabba, from Italy. Events such as Gelibolu, also known as Gallipoli, Kuşadası, Eğirdir, Elazığ, Istanbul, Antalya and of course Alanya on the Turkish racing calendar ensured that with international athletes racing, their domestic athletes would gain valuable experience and the Age Group participation, on the same courses as the Elite, would enjoy the chance to race on safely-constructed courses and see the benefits that were coming from the Turkish Federation’s buy-in to the top level races and race management.

Forward motion is always positive but if there is a clear vision then it makes so much more sense. The past few years have seen consistency under the leadership of Hamdi Güneş along with Andrea Gabba as head coach. Into the mix came Alp İskin. Alp spent many, many years living in Canada before coming back to Turkey and, with his fluent English and fresh approach, he has added considerable spice to the Turkish mix. For the many who have raced in Alanya, Mehmet Zafer Peker is a name that is familiar. He has been the backbone behind the race there and his crowning glory was of course the 2013 ETU Triathlon European Championships. Dawn Vaughan, Team Manager for the masssive British Age Group contingent said, “In 2013 Alanya hosted the European Championships and welcomed over 600 athletes from Great Britain. As the sprint team manager for GBR, the incredible backdrop and fabulous Turkish hospitality were the perfect ingredients for an incredible race experience for my athletes. The positive feedback for this race venue ticked all the boxes and more.”

A week ago Alanya saw the ETU Ranking Cup Final and, in a year that has seen significant political turmoil in the country and where one event had to be cancelled, not due to any violence but simply because the local authorities could not spare the police to secure the bike and run course, the event went ahead and did so in style. There were reduced numbers. Nobody can hide that fact but the clear message that went out to everyone was that Alanya was safe. Alanya was fun. Alanya was … well, Alanya and as beautiful as ever.

Of course, without the continued support of the municipality, no races could take place. With the Mayor of Alanya, Adem Murat Yücel in attendance, the District Governor, Dr Hasan Tanrıseven, who was born in Batman, gave a passionate speech, in excellent English, at the ETU Alanya Cup Final and pointed out that Alanya was the focal point for numerous international sporting events. Indeed the very next day saw the Turkish Beach Football Championships take place just adjacent to where the swim exit was for the triathlon. He was pleased that in the Open Race some 38 countries had athletes racing. 38 nations, even after the bad publicity about Turkey that had appeared in the world media.

ETU was itself very happy with the way that so many athletes, at the end of a particularly busy season, had attended the event and made each so exciting. The final ranking calculations were made in Madrid by the Results team and those athletes who had raced in Alanya were entitled to the bonus cash prizes. Focus also turned to the Juniors and it was a fine performance from the Hungarian Junior Men, who scooped up extra points that took them to the top of the Nation Rankings above Great Britain and Austria.

So, from ETU, a very big thank you for once again hosting such a great event. A very big thank you for your hospitality and with an eye on the future, we look forwards to seeing your athletes racing and winning medals and to your events in 2017.