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Eryilmaz, 29, won the gold medal in the 75-kilogram category at the Kecioren Adults Karakucak Wrestling World Championship, held in Ankara, Türkiye's capital, defeating Azerbaijan's Omar Gulmammadov in the final.
Karakucak is a traditional Turkish form of wrestling contested outdoors on grass rather than a mat.
Eryilmaz comes from a family with a long wrestling history. His father, uncle, grandfather, maternal uncle and older brothers all competed in the sport, and he cited them as role models when he began wrestling at age 12. He started at a training center in Tokat, a province in Türkiye's Black Sea region, after relatives encouraged him.
He went on to win Turkish national titles at the youth level and was later selected for the national team in the junior and under-23 categories. At the senior level, Eryilmaz has collected several international medals, including bronze at the 2020 Individual Wrestling World Cup and bronze in the 74-kilogram category at the 2021 World Wrestling Championship.
In 2022, he won bronze at 74 kilograms at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Konya, a city in central Türkiye.
Eryilmaz, who competes for Bursa Buyuksehir Belediyespor in Bursa, a city in northwestern Türkiye, said his training is split into morning and evening sessions.
"We train five to six hours a day," he said. "I have never thought about giving up. Since I always have a goal, giving up is not a word for me."
Eryilmaz said winning a world championship in Karakucak wrestling carries deep personal meaning, adding that hearing the Istiklal Marsi, Türkiye's national anthem, played after his win was an emotional moment.
He said an Olympic title is the biggest goal of his career.
"God willing, if it is meant to be, my first goal is to win the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics championship for my country on the mat," he said. "I want to bring home an Olympic medal. Beyond that, a world championship is very important to us, and I also want to win a European championship."
Eryilmaz spent nearly 12 years competing for Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyespor before transferring to Bursa Buyuksehir Belediyespor, where he won the world title within his first month with the club.
Enes Uslu, a board member at Bursa Buyuksehir Belediyespor, described Eryilmaz as one of Turkish wrestling's key athletes. Uslu said Eryilmaz won the Karakucak world championship in the 75-kilogram category about a month after joining the club.
"Our real goal with Fazli is to set out on the Olympic journey on the mat," Uslu said.
"We want to walk this path together with Fazli at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics."
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