National athletes camping at the Murat Canbaş Gymnastics Hall in Bolu's Karaçayır District are preparing for the international organizations to be held next year by training twice a day.
Mert Efe Kılıçer told the AA correspondent that 2026 was a successful year for him and that he made it to the finals in the organizations and won 6 medals.
Reminding that he won 6 medals in the pull-up apparatus at the tournament in Germany last March, 22-year-old Mert Efe said, "Later, I had the chance to represent our country by joining the team in the Mediterranean Games, European Championship and World Championship." he said.
Mert Efe explained that the European Championship did not go very well, but they defended the championship in the previous organization in the Mediterranean Games and won the gold medal as a team once again, and that they could not show the performance they wanted in the World Championship, but they had a successful year in general.
Emphasizing that 2027 is of great importance due to the start of the Olympic quota process, Mert Efe continued as follows:
"We met with the team in November. We have the European Championship and the European Games ahead of us. There are the University Games for us and the youth. Then, our most important competition is the World Championship. Our primary goal as a team is to be in the top 12 at the European Championship. We want to make it to the team finals at the European Championship. Then, we want to bring the Olympic quota to our country at the World Championship."
Stating that the preparations are continuing as planned and that they are satisfied with the camp environment in Bolu, Mert Efe said, "Our work is going very well right now. Our coaches, athletes, and technical board are progressing in a goal-oriented manner. We are currently training twice. We train for a total of 4 hours a day. It is a little heavy physically, but not too heavy mentally. We have not started the movements yet. We are focusing more on the basic movements in technical terms." he said.
Altan Doğan: "We are very hopeful"
22-year-old Altan Doğan, who started gymnastics at the age of 5 and was selected for the national team at the age of 9, stated that he won the championship in the parallel bars and team categories in the last Mediterranean Games.
Mentioning that he reached the final in the parallel bar apparatus at the European Championship, which he attended for the first time this year, Altan said, "I came 5th in the final. It was my first European Championship experience. I am quite happy. After receiving the gold medal in the Mediterranean Games, I became more hopeful for the future. I saw that I could reach better places by working harder." he said.
Altan stated that he considers 2026 as a successful period in which most of his goals have been achieved, and that they aim to get an Olympic quota as a team in the European and World championships in 2027.
Pointing out that the team consists of young and strong athletes, Altan said, "We are a good team, a young team. Our goal to get an Olympic quota is high. It is very good and feels good for us that we have already started working for this." he said.
Altan noted that his individual goal is to reach the final and get a medal in the parallel bar apparatus, and that as a team, they aim to enter the top 12 in the European Championship.
Emphasizing that the World Championship is of great importance in terms of the Olympic quota, Altan said, "We can say that it is the most important competition of 2027. It is one of the most important competitions in the 4-year Olympic period for us. This is the competition in which the Olympic quota will be received. There, we need to enter the top 12 as a team. When we enter the top 12, we will receive a quota for the Olympics. Hopefully, we will achieve this goal. We are very hopeful." he said.
Altan added that his biggest dream is to win a medal in the Olympics and that he takes as an example the national gymnasts who achieved international success before him.
