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The Turkish Traditional Archery Team aims for success at the 2026 World Traditional Archery Championships in South Korea and hopes to raise the Turkish flag.
The championships, organized by the World Traditional Archery Federation, will take place in the South Korean city of Ulsan from Oct. 30 to Nov. 4. About 700 athletes from 38 countries will compete.
Archer Aysegul Demirbag Caliskan said the team has worked hard for the event. “There were times when we shot arrows from morning to night,” she said, adding that they trained from early morning until dark whenever the weather allowed.
She said she has won many international and national titles. “An athlete’s biggest goal is the podium,” she said. “We hope for the podium and are working for it, both for our federation and to set an example for the young people who will come after us.”
Asked how she focuses, the 44-year-old said archery requires a calm mind. She said she achieves this by listening to the Quran. “That harmony rests me, rests my mind and reminds me only of why I am here,” she said.
Fatih Cetin, 33, said he is confident he will be “relaxed” in the competition and that preparations are going well.
Noting that he started archery about one year ago, Cetin said he was lucky enough to see the podium in almost every competition he entered in that time. “It turns out it is possible, and that with work you can get to this point,” he said. “My goal is to see the podium. I believe we will make our flag fly, both individually and as a team,” he said.
Cetin said he is not someone who gets very excited during competition or training. “When I face the puta (the target), it feels as if we are two people looking into each other’s eyes,” he said. “That is why I do not pay attention to what is going on around me.”
Havvanur Uzun, 19, said the team’s goal is to sweep the podium. Noting that the camp has been productive, she said every day is spent training and preparing mentally. “We want to achieve placings both as a team and individually,” she said.
Saying she has been doing archery for six years, Uzun said she started because of distraction and focus problems, and that archery helped her get rid of them. “I am happy and proud to represent my country,” she said.
Asked how she focuses in competitions, Uzun said she shuts out everything happening behind her and focuses only on the arrow in her hand. “If I can do it in training, I can do it during the shot,” she said.
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