Mehmet Özal

Mehmet Özal ( born October 31, 1978 in Ankara ) is a former Turkish wrestler. In 2002 he became world champion in Greco-Roman wrestling in heavyweight.

Career

Mehmet Ozal began in 1985 as a teenager with the rings. He focused on the Greco- Roman style. As a member of the sports club Buyuksehyr Beldeyesi Istanbul, he was trained by Salih Yilmaz and later by Mehmet Akif Pirim. He studied sports science and was supported by the Turkish army.

In 1998 he made the first time attention to themselves on the international wrestling mat, when he finished 3rd at the Universities World Cup in Ankara heavyweight behind Gennadi Tschaidse from Georgia and Marek Sitnik from Poland. He occupied the same seat at the 2000 European Championships in Moscow, where only Sergei Lischtwan from Belarus and Gogi Koguaschwili from Russia placed before him. In the 2000 Olympics he did not play because he failed in the Turkish excretion for these games to Hakki Bazaar.

In 2001, he first started at the European Championships in Istanbul and came there to a good 5th place. In December 2001, he was also at the World Championships in Patras here, where she won after beating Sergei Lischtwan, Park Woo, South Korea and Marek Sitnik, losing to Ernesto Pena, Cuba, and a win over Petru Sudureac, Romania, a World Cup bronze medal. At the European Championships in 2002 in Seinäjoki / Finland he came to a victory over Gennadi Tschaidse, but was defeated by Marek Sitnik which he retired and only came to 14th place. All the better for him then it ran at the 2002 World Championships in Moscow. He won there in the light heavyweight division on Rama Nosadse, Georgia, Georgios Koutsioubas, Greece, Alexei Tscheglakow, Uzbekistan, Ernesto Pena, Cuba and Karam Ibrahim of Egypt, whom he defeated in a turbulent final battle with 15:11 points and thus became world champion.

In 2003, Mehmet Ozal was unable to repeat this success. At the European Championships in Belgrade, he lost his first fight against Mindaugas Ezerskis from Lithuania and could even with a following victory over the strong Dawid Saldadse from Ukraine only reach the 9th Place. Even worse, he cut off at the World Championships in Creteil. He won there though Henri Papiaschwili from Israel and Arman Geghamjan from Georgia, but lost to Karam Ibrahim clearly with 0:8 points. This high defeat gave him the 14th Place.

In 2004, Mehmet Ozal qualified at a tournament in Novi Sad with a third place behind Ernesto Pena and Mindaugas Ezerskis for participation in the Olympic Games in Athens. In April 2004, he lost at the European Championships in Haparanda in his first fight against Marek Svec of the Czech Republic, but then won clear about Roman Meduna from Slovakia. The then valid peculiar regulations accordingly, but he left anyway and came on the 6th Place. At the Olympic Games in Athens, he was again in very good shape and came to victories over Alexei Tscheglakow, Igors Kostins from Latvia and Ernesto Pena. But then he lost again clearly against Karam Mohammad Gaber Ibragim, but could still secure an Olympic bronze medal with a win over Masoud Hashemzadeh from Iran ( 3-2 points).

In the following years, Mehmet Ozal could not so frequently participate in international championships because of his studies. But he was in 2007 in Hyderabad military world champion before Georgios Konstantinidis, Greece, Mindaugas Ezerskis and Aslanbek Chuschtow from Russia. In 2008 he qualified with a 3rd place at a tournament in Rome - Ostia behind Dinchew Kaloyan, Bulgaria and Lajos Virag, Hungary, once again for participating in the Olympic Games, which Beijing. But in Beijing, he won only against Oleg Kryoka from Ukraine and retired after a defeat against Mindaugas Ezerskis, which he just finished in 11th place. Then he ended his international career Ringer.

International success

Notes

• All competitions in the Greco-Roman style
• OS = The Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, European Championship EM =
• Light Heavyweight weight class up to 2001-97 kg since 2002-96 kg body weight

Swell

• Journal The Ringer
• Website " Foeldeak Wrestling Database "