'Kocaeli, the Capital of Sports', which hosted national and international championships with the work of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tahir Büyükakın in the field of sports, also hosted the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Equestrian Endurance Competitions. The Turkish Equestrian Endurance Championship, organized by the Turkish Equestrian Federation and hosted by Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, was held at the Gebze Equestrian Sports Club Equestrian Endurance campus, Istanbul Park Orman. 22 horses and athletes from 65 clubs participated in the championship, which was exciting and competitive based on performance.
KOCAELI, THE CAPITAL OF SPORTS AND ATHLETES
Halit İpek, President of Gebze Equestrian Club, stated that they have increased the bar and success with more organizations every year with the support of President Büyükakın with the vision of Kocaeli, the capital of sports and athletes, and said: “Our club will also participate in the National Equestrian Endurance competitions to be held in April and the FEI International Equestrian Endurance competitions to be held in May. Our Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tahir Büyükakın, who never spared his support to ensure that the Equestrian Endurance branch was held in the Istanbul Park Orman campus, our President of the Turkish Equestrian Federation Hasan Engin Tuncer, Kocaeli Amateur Sports Clubs Federation President Murat Aydın and the Head of the Youth and Sports Department Ali Yeşildal, who participated. "I would like to thank the referee and veterinary committee, our athletes and horses for their contributions," he said.
AWARD TO REACHING ATHLETES
While Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality provided all kinds of support for all athletes and participants in the competitions held in clear and sunny weather, the soft ground of the race route also enabled the athletes and horses to have a very enjoyable race. The horses ran on a total of 2 kilometers of track in the 120-day races, where the winners of the competitions featured colorful images and were rewarded. The horses, which were checked by a veterinarian after every 40 kilometers, were able to continue the race if their health conditions allowed. Club presidents, athletes and their families watched the performance-based races. At the end of the races, the awards were presented to the winning athletes by the protocol members.
The athletes who won the competitions were as follows:
20 Km AD K (Qualification)
1- Alperen Demir / Ak Tolgalı
2- Ulrike Nöth / Alula
3- Polat Yavuz / Arapadem
4- Cem Çavuşlu / Büyük Selluma
5- Bengisu Altınköprü / Gloria
6- Ebru Kendi / Gökbey
7- Pınar Eroğlu / Güdük
8- Şakir Tarık Çakır / From Isparta
9- Kadir Fedai / Escaping Man
10- Nihat Eray Torun / Tokyo
11- Mustafa Özlütürk / Zirvezra
12- Erkan Demir / Altay
13- Özgür Aslan / Adilhan
14- Zeynep Çavuşlu / My Bead
15- Kayra Aranmış /Cındy
16- Mustafa Aras Ünal / Don Diego
17- Nazlı Özyavru / Lale Era
18- Turan Bahadır Torun / Roadrunner
19- Erdal Bülbül / Iron
20- Savaş Baytok / My Sijan
21- Mina Beren Gültekin / Spirit
22- Toprak Ali Alcan / Suvarkaya
23- Esma Çetin / Şanlı
24- Kemal Kargılı / Sailor
25- Malika Şirin / Zidan
26- Melike Concept / Pich Edmund
IN K1 CATEGORY (40 KM)
1- İrem Kavraz /Lavinia
2- İsmail Can Çetinkaya / Sakarya
3- Fatih Aslan / Özkara
4- Ömer Atar / Akiona
5- Mehmet Turna / İlkateş
IN K2 CATEGORY (60 KM)
1- Mete Aysel / Mika
2- İsmail Varol / Tulpar
3- Hüseyin Berat Kömür / Camuzdevranı
4- Ferhat Büşra Deler / Ala
5- Cem Çapur / Disaster