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Following a round-of-16 exit at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after a 5-0 defeat against Cuba's two-time Olympic gold medalist Arlen Lopez Cardona, Turkish national boxer Kaan Aykutsun is resetting his athletic focus toward securing a podium finish at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
To prepare for this upcoming Olympic cycle, the multi-time national titleholder recently concluded an intensive physical conditioning and endurance training program at the High Altitude Camp Center in Erzurum, a specialized mountain training facility used by elite athletes to build stamina through low-oxygen conditioning.
The national boxer aims to stand on the podium at the 2026 Mediterranean Games, to be held in Taranto, Italy, from August 21 to September 3, and the European Boxing Championships, to be held in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, from September 15 to 26, ultimately fulfilling his unfinished dream for the 2028 Olympics.
Kaan Aykutsun said that he achieved the success of representing Türkiye at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Stating that he advanced to the round of 16 by defeating Italian boxer Salvatore Cavallaro on the first day of the Olympics, Kaan said, "There, I lost to my highly experienced opponent Arlen Lopez, a two-time Olympic champion. This was unfortunate for us, but at the same time, it was an important experience."
Indicating that he started boxing in 2009, Kaan Aykutsun said, "I have 10 Türkiye championships in my career.
I also won bronze medals in Europe twice. The most important stage of my career—the thing that allowed me to dream higher—was, of course, achieving the success of participating in the Olympics. We are primarily preparing for the Mediterranean Games and the European Championship. I believe we are going through a great preparation period as a team."
Explaining that they are preparing for the competitions in the best possible way both as a team and individually, Kaan continued:
"Everyone's goal is to stand at the top of the podium. Following the European Championship and the Mediterranean Games, the European Games will take place in mid-2027, and the Olympic Games, which is the ultimate dream of all athletes.
The fact that it will be organized in Istanbul is an important advantage for us.
Our goal is to raise our flag at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and represent our country in the best way. We have already started working for this."
The successful athlete emphasized that he wants to realize his unfinished dream at the Olympics, stating, "As someone who represented our country at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, I feel that my dreams were left incomplete.
Of course, going there is a success, but our main goal, in addition to representing our country at the Olympics, is to stand at the top of the podium and raise our flag. We are fighting fiercely for this. I have reached half of my dreams, but I feel the other half remains missing."
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