Newsletters
Ozgur Salih Kose, a 17-year-old athlete on the autism spectrum from Osmaniye, has claimed seven championship titles in the long jump and the 200-meter and 400-meter races since taking up track and field three years ago, after his mother encouraged him to begin training under specialized sports coach Nuri Can Kastal across several different disciplines.
After improving his performance in training, Ozgur broke the Turkish record in the long jump and won the championship at the Türkiye Indoor Athletics Championship held in Istanbul in 2024.
1 min read
That same year, Ozgur won Turkish championship titles in the long jump and the 200 meters at a tournament held in Karaman, and in 2025 he also claimed first place in both the 200-meter race and the long jump at the SOBE Autism Sports Games held in Konya.
The young athlete also competed at the Special Athletes Athletics Türkiye Championship, organized in Konya from July 16 to 18, where he broke the Turkish record and celebrated becoming champion in both the 200-meter and 400-meter races.
Ozgur Salih Kose said that he first started in sports with swimming before moving on to track and field. He said he continued in the sport after finding early success in competitions.
Ozgur said he has set records in the long jump and the 200 and 400 meters, adding that he now holds seven championship titles and three records.
He noted that he has competed in tournaments across Türkiye and said his goal is to achieve success at the European and world championships. Ozgur added that he continues to train with the aim of being selected for the national team.
Coach Nuri Can Kastal said his athlete had achieved major success in a short period of time, adding that their shared goal is a spot on the national team.
According to Kastal, Ozgur currently ranks second in the world in the 200 meters and third in the 400 meters. Kastal said Ozgur is still young and voiced confidence that he will become the world's best within three to four years, adding that he believes a national team call-up will come soon.
"I trust Ozgur because we train professionally," Kastal said, describing a routine of six days of training per week alongside a structured diet and school schedule.
He said everything is kept under control through a fully systematic approach, adding: "As a result, success comes naturally."
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
