Turkey sends 35-strong team to Belgrade
Turkey's selected team to Balkan Indoor with 35 athletes leave for Belgrade from Istanbul after 10-days preparation camp. The Serbian Capital's high-tech Kombank Arena will host Balkan Senior Indoor Athletics Championships for the first time as set up of next week's Euro Indoor. The event will take place in one-day (25th February) with participation of 16 ABAF member countries. Turkish National Athletics Team will compete in Belgrade with relatively large squad as it's their premium preperation just before the Euro. Turkish team already have 16 athletes qualified to Euro Indoor - highest ever figure for the country in the event - is looking to last minute entries in the championship, which is to be held one day before in entry deadline. The 'Team Ay-yıldız' is featuring former World Youth champion Emel Dereli, who making a comeback after slight-injury causing sidelined her for five months. In-form 400 metres runner Batuhan Altıntaş, 2015 Euro U-23 steeplechase gold medalist Tuğba Güvenç, former World Junior silver medalist sprinter Nimet Karakuş and former Euro XC champion Emine Hatun Tuna is also will perform there to catch-up some confidence before Euro Indoors. Another name to notice is Buse Arıkazan, who extent her PB 17 centimeters to broke pole-vault NR (4.32m) in EA Permit Istanbul Indoor Cup, is surely will be among of the athletes draw attention. The full list of Turkish team for Balkan Indoors 2017 is below. MEN 60m: Ertan Özkan, Yiğitcan Hekimoğlu 400m: Batuhan Altıntaş, Mehmet Güzel 800m: Sercan Basım, Hasan Basri Güdük 1500m: Süleyman Bekmezci, Ömer Oti 3000m: Turgay Bayram 60m hurdles: Batuhan Eruygun, Mehmet Güneş HJ: Alperen Acet, Metin Doğu LJ: Kaan Şencan PV: Ümit Sungur SP: Murat Gündüz TJ: Necati Er, Can Özüpek 4×400m: Batuhan Altıntaş, Mehmet Güzel, Fahri Arsoy, Mahsum Korkmaz, Akın Özyürek, Enis Ünsal WOMEN 60m: Nimet Karakuş, Melike Malkoç 800m: Damla Çelik 1500m: Emine Hatun Tuna 3000m: Tuğba Güvenç 60m hurdles: Özge Soylu, Beyza Tilki LJ: Cemre Bitgin, Ecem Çalağan TJ: Cemre Bitgin, Beyza Tilki SP: Emel Dereli, Sare Bostancı PV: Buse Arıkazan, Büşra Pekşirin
