Uğur Aktaş: I hope tomorrow will be the 5th gold medal

The European Karate Championship continues in Frankfurt, Germany. Competing in the men's Kumite +84 kg category and also the national team captain, Uğur Aktaş will take to the tatami tomorrow for his 5th European championship. Aktaş made statements to the press before the final match.

Expressing his love for the European Championship and his determination to fight for his 5th title tomorrow, Uğur Aktaş said, “I am very happy. I love the European Championship. I first reached the final in the European Championship in 2016 in France. During this period, I became the European champion 4 times in the seniors. I also won gold medals 3 times in team events. I hope tomorrow will be the 5th gold medal. The tournament started well for me. I was well-motivated and prepared when I came here. Hopefully, we will crown it with a gold medal tomorrow,” he said.

'WE WILL FOCUS ON THE INDIVIDUAL MATCH TO RETURN AS CHAMPIONS TO OUR COUNTRY'

Stating that he suffered an injury in the quarter-final match and will not be able to participate in the team matches, Uğur Aktaş said, “I had a pain in my hamstring in the quarter-final. I continued with the heat, but now the pain has increased. It may not allow me to compete in the team events. It seems we will focus entirely on the individual final. We have a 3-minute match left. We will focus on the individual match to win it and return as champions to our country,” he said.

'THERE IS NO REASON FOR US NOT TO BE CHAMPIONS IN THE OVERALL RANKING'

The national athlete, who stated that they wanted to enter the weekend with 7 finals, said, “Our synergy is very high. Both the women's team and the men's team have caught a good synergy in the camps. Our energy has increased. We were good in training, we participated in interim tournaments. We had the opportunity to assess ourselves there. When we came here, everyone wanted each other to win and supported each other. We have reached the 5th final, and the team matches for both women and men are still ongoing. I hope we will enter the weekend with 7 finals. There is no reason for us not to be champions in the overall ranking. Currently, all of our performances are high. Morale and motivation are in place. I think we will achieve good results by fighting with all my teammates there,” he said.

'EVEN IF I CAN SUPPORT IN A SMALL MATTER, ITS REFLECTION CAN SOMETIMES BE A MEDAL'

Uğur Aktaş, who is also the captain of the Karate National Team, said he does his best to help other athletes. Stating that he has experienced similar processes with other athletes and shared his experiences with them, Aktaş concluded his words as follows: “I associate many things I experienced in the past with what they are experiencing now. I advise them to respond to actions with the right psychology as much as I can. I make suggestions. They also kindly come to consult me when they encounter a problem. I am happy about this. I exist with karate, I have been in this community for years. We have been working for years, winning medals, but taking on this responsibility and doing it well gives a different happiness. Even if I can support in a small matter, its reflection can sometimes be a medal. I have experienced all the processes. I have been injured, I have had very good periods. I have also had times when I fell. Especially in the last 2, 3 years, I have had difficult times. I was away from tournaments. With the experiences these brought, I try to help my brothers and friends. I hope as time goes by, we will catch a better synergy and become a better team.”