The key facts

  • Ilke Ozyuksel is preparing for her fourth Olympics, training at a camp on Erciyes in Kayseri
  • In 2026 she won the World Cup with 1,459 points — the first Turkish woman to take gold at the event
  • Her immediate goals: the European Games in Istanbul and the world championship to qualify for the 2028 Olympics

Preparing for her fourth Games

Turkish athlete Ilke Ozyuksel Mihrioglu, 29, is preparing for her fourth Olympic appearance and has stated her goal of winning world and Olympic titles. She is training at a national camp at the high-altitude Erciyes training center in Kayseri province. According to her, she has been representing Turkey in international competitions since the age of nine.

Career achievements

Ozyuksel became the first Turkish athlete to compete in modern pentathlon at the Olympics — in Rio 2016. In Tokyo she finished fifth with 1,402 points, which was Turkey's best Olympic result in the sport at that time, and in Paris she finished sixth. In 2026 she scored 1,459 points and won the World Cup, becoming the first Turkish woman to claim gold at that event. She also won the 2018 European Junior Championships and the 2026 European Championships. According to the International Modern Pentathlon Union, she has broken the world record in the laser run (running and shooting) several times.

Goals and plans

“I have competed at three Olympic Games and am preparing for my fourth. I placed fifth and sixth. Now we have started working toward the top of the podium,” the athlete said. Her immediate goals are the European Games in Istanbul and the world championship, where she hopes to earn qualification for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. “I have achieved most of my goals. Two remain: to become world champion and Olympic champion. I hope to accomplish both in the next two years,” she noted.

The coach's words

Ozyuksel acknowledged how difficult the path in sport is, given that Turkey previously had few role models: “Walking a path with few footprints is as hard as it is rewarding, because we constantly learn by trial and error.” She added that the team is focused only on work and victory, and called on girls and women interested in sport to pursue their goals. National team coach and the athlete's coordinator Ahmet Simser called her an example for young athletes: “Ilke has been in this sport since the age of nine. She is an idol for young athletes and children. Now she is a star both in Turkey and around the world.”