Elis Özbay, who will compete in the Olympics held in Paris, France, from July 26 to August 11, gave an interview during the Junior Turkey Rowing Cup held on the Meriç River. Özbay stated that it is every athlete’s dream to compete in the Olympics and expressed her pride in being the first Turkish female rower to represent Turkey at the Olympics.
Starting rowing at the age of 16, Özbay has been passionately pursuing the sport for seven years. She emphasized that rowing requires great dedication and that missing even a single day of training has consequences. Having missed the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by just three seconds, Özbay qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics and aims to represent her country in the best possible way.
The “Golden” Girl of Rowing: Elis Özbay
Fenerbahçe’s national rower Elis Özbay won the gold medal in the lightweight single sculls category at the U23 World Rowing Championships. Last year, Özbay was the world runner-up, and this year she achieved her goal of becoming the world champion.
In 2021, Özbay, together with Mervenur Uslu, became the world and European champion in the lightweight double sculls at the U23 level. In 2022, she won the European championship and the world runner-up in the lightweight single sculls category. Memorable races for Özbay include the 2021 world championship and this year’s European Rowing Championships, where she competed in the senior category for the first time.
Özbay highlights the role of her club, Fenerbahçe, in her success, stating that Fenerbahçe has always supported her and provided all the necessary facilities for her to achieve success.
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