Ahead of the European Athletics Under 18 Championships kicking off on Thursday in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, Turkish Athletics Federation President Fatih Çintimar shared optimistic remarks about the future of young athletes.

Responding to questions from Anadolu Agency (AA), Çintimar noted that 100 athletes received quotas to participate in the championship in Slovakia, including top-ranked athletes and those with chances to place in the top six in their disciplines.

“All our young athletes will gain experience here and compete for medals. We truly see great potential in our youth,” he said.

Çintimar emphasized changes in training methods and athlete selection criteria, stating, “Previously, our children would say, ‘We can’t make it to the finals, we can’t win medals.’ Now, their mindset has changed. They say, ‘We must win medals, stand on the podium, and represent our country with pride.'”

The list of 24 national athletes competing in Banska Bystrica includes:

Women: Reyhan Taşdelen, Duru İklim Kadanalı, Esra Durmuş, İlkim Altunbulak, Döndü Kübra Boyraz, Elif Akçiçek, Şerife Berra Güven, Esmanur Birdel, Özlem Özcan, Birsen Kuşoğ, Rabia Çiçek, Zeynep Özkan.

Men: Baturalp Bostan, Mert Hanifi Odacı, Furkan Kanlı, Musab Kundakçı, Furkan Yaran, Muhammed Enes Kılıç, Emre Çolak, Kerim Akyıldız, Hasan Özdemir, Kerem Endamlı, Koray Uygun, Yiğit Özmez.

“Success among our youth correlates directly with the development of Turkish athletics at the grassroots level. I hope that we will return from this championship with medals and proudly promote our country,” Çintimar concluded.

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