Newsletters
Turkish boxer Hatice Akbas has secured at least a bronze medal at the 2026 European Boxing Championships after advancing to the semifinals in the 51-kilogram category, held at Asics Arena in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.
qThe world and Olympic medalist lost the first round against British boxer Ruby White but rallied to win the second and third rounds, taking the bout 3-2 and securing her place in the semifinals.
Competing at 51 kilograms for the first time in her career, Hatice guaranteed herself a bronze medal with the win and achieved the one major title that had been missing from her career: a European medal.
The Turkish athlete's career already includes an Olympic silver medal, along with a gold and a silver medal from world championships.
Nineteen-year-old British boxer White, whom Hatice defeated, suffered her second defeat to the Turkish athlete in her 60th bout across the junior and senior categories.
Hatice Akbas will face Polish boxer Natalia Kuczewska in the semifinals on Thursday.
Expressing her happiness at reaching the semifinals, Hatice Akbas said she had felt some pressure and excitement heading into the bout.
She explained that she has spent more than a year and a half preparing for the European Championship alongside her sister Esra Yildiz, her father, her brother Onur and her coach Seyfullah, adding that the team wanted to give it everything they had.
She noted that she already holds a European title from the under-22 category but wanted to achieve the same success at the senior level.
"We've now guaranteed a medal," she said, expressing gratitude to her father, who also serves as her coach. She said he was watching her compete in tears.
Hatice described the bout as a strong performance and spoke of her close bond with her sister Esra, saying the two are genuinely on this journey together and hope to bring home gold. "I love her very much too," she said. "God willing, we'll have our national anthem played together."
Having handed her opponent her second defeat in 60 matches, the Turkish boxer said she had not been aware of that statistic beforehand, calling it an impressive record and adding that she felt proud of her own achievement.
She noted that she has previously sparred with her upcoming Polish opponent and said she believes she can win.
"We'll advance to the final comfortably," she said. "And in the final, God willing, we'll win the gold medal. Bronze isn't enough, we want gold."
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
