Turkey dominated 4. Balkan Mountain Running Championships 2012 (up and down race)
"
12 medals for Turkish team at 4. Balkan Mountain Running Championships 2012 held in the beautiful venue of Nova Zagora, in Bulgaria.
7 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals won by Turkish runners.
Gold medals were four in all the four team category and three individual titles!
Romania took the only one gold medal lost by Turkey and in total Romania was second in the medal table nation with 6 medals in total: 1 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze.
Hosting Country Bulgaria was happy for celebrating also 6 medals: 5 silver and 1 bronze.
In total seven Balkan Countries were present at the event: besides Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria also Albania FYR of Makedonia, Serbia and Greece sent their runners to the competition." "In the senior women race, Rumanian Denisa Jonela Dragomir became Balkan Mountain Running Champion 2012 with 42.24 (distance of the race 8,360km, elevation ±, 500m) in front of Turkish runners Yasemin Can (silver, time 42.44) and Yagmur Tarhan (bronze, time 43.58).
In the senior men's race Turkish Mehmet Akkoyun won the title of Balkan Mountain Running Champion 2012 with 53.18 (distance of the race 12.540km, elevation ±, 750m) in front of Bulgarian Nikolov Kiril (silver, time 53.56). Third and bronze medal Ercan Muslu (again Turkey) finished in 56.00.
Runners by three different Countries won medals in junior women race: gold for Cesminaz Yilmaz (Turkey, time 20.12), silver for Mircheva Militca (Bulgaria, , time 20.27) and bronze for Rus Rebecca (Romania: time 20.47), the distance of the race was 4.180 km, elevation ±, 250m.
Turkey totally dominated the junior men's race (distance 8.360km, elevation ±, 500m) with its' four athletes arriving on the top four positions. Turkish athletes offered a great show in this race: Serkan Demir was leading but at the end of the race he slowed down to let his teammate Suat Karabulak join him and get a national flag. They were running together the last 20 meters holding the flag in-between and made a genuine battle for the first position crossing the finish line almost simultaneously in 36.36 min. Finally Suat Karabulak was declared Balkan Mountain Running Champion 2012. Serkan Demir got the silver medal and the bronze went to Ozan Iskey one minute behind (time 37.39).
It was the first time for Albania to take part in Balkan Mountain Running championships. The team had some problems on the road to Bulgaria. They arrived to Nova Zagora during the night before the race. Numbed and exhausted by the long bus travel, having missed the final confirmations and technical meeting, having slept only a couple of hours that night, the athletes managed however to join the competition and perform at their best.
The Balkan Championships was very well organized by the Municipality of Nova Zagora and Bulgarian Athletic Federation.The event was attended by local dignitaries among whom representatives of the leading political parties in Bulgaria, regional governors, and of course ABAF President Dobromir Karamarinov who is also President of Bulgarian Athletic Federation and Chairman of European Athletics Mountain Running Commission and Galia Puhaleva, ABAF General Secretary and WMRA Council member.
The Municipality of Nova Zagora led by Mayor Nikolay Grozev and Deputy Mayor Galia Zaharieva made an excellent job in organising a high class Balkan event, adequately covering all aspects from board and lodging, through transportation services, social programme to the perfect race course. The event ended up with a splendid final banquet nearby the picturesque lake Zhrebchevo where the winners were awarded and participants had a loud and joyful party strengthening the bonds of friendship and partnership on the Balkans.
News by Galia Puhaleva(WMRA)
Photos by LOC:
on front page:
- fighting finish junior men race.
on second page:
- Dragomir, winner senior women
- Winners junior women awarded by Galia Zaharieva-Deputy Mayor
- Dobromir Karamarinov with Bulgarian senior men team
- Mayor Nikolay Grozev during Opening Ceremony"
7 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals won by Turkish runners.
Gold medals were four in all the four team category and three individual titles!
Romania took the only one gold medal lost by Turkey and in total Romania was second in the medal table nation with 6 medals in total: 1 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze.
Hosting Country Bulgaria was happy for celebrating also 6 medals: 5 silver and 1 bronze.
In total seven Balkan Countries were present at the event: besides Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria also Albania FYR of Makedonia, Serbia and Greece sent their runners to the competition." "
In the senior men's race Turkish Mehmet Akkoyun won the title of Balkan Mountain Running Champion 2012 with 53.18 (distance of the race 12.540km, elevation ±, 750m) in front of Bulgarian Nikolov Kiril (silver, time 53.56). Third and bronze medal Ercan Muslu (again Turkey) finished in 56.00.
Runners by three different Countries won medals in junior women race: gold for Cesminaz Yilmaz (Turkey, time 20.12), silver for Mircheva Militca (Bulgaria, , time 20.27) and bronze for Rus Rebecca (Romania: time 20.47), the distance of the race was 4.180 km, elevation ±, 250m.
Turkey totally dominated the junior men's race (distance 8.360km, elevation ±, 500m) with its' four athletes arriving on the top four positions. Turkish athletes offered a great show in this race: Serkan Demir was leading but at the end of the race he slowed down to let his teammate Suat Karabulak join him and get a national flag. They were running together the last 20 meters holding the flag in-between and made a genuine battle for the first position crossing the finish line almost simultaneously in 36.36 min. Finally Suat Karabulak was declared Balkan Mountain Running Champion 2012. Serkan Demir got the silver medal and the bronze went to Ozan Iskey one minute behind (time 37.39).
It was the first time for Albania to take part in Balkan Mountain Running championships. The team had some problems on the road to Bulgaria. They arrived to Nova Zagora during the night before the race. Numbed and exhausted by the long bus travel, having missed the final confirmations and technical meeting, having slept only a couple of hours that night, the athletes managed however to join the competition and perform at their best.
The Balkan Championships was very well organized by the Municipality of Nova Zagora and Bulgarian Athletic Federation.
The Municipality of Nova Zagora led by Mayor Nikolay Grozev and Deputy Mayor Galia Zaharieva made an excellent job in organising a high class Balkan event, adequately covering all aspects from board and lodging, through transportation services, social programme to the perfect race course. The event ended up with a splendid final banquet nearby the picturesque lake Zhrebchevo where the winners were awarded and participants had a loud and joyful party strengthening the bonds of friendship and partnership on the Balkans.
News by Galia Puhaleva(WMRA)
Photos by LOC:
on front page:
- fighting finish junior men race.
on second page:
- Dragomir, winner senior women
- Winners junior women awarded by Galia Zaharieva-Deputy Mayor
- Dobromir Karamarinov with Bulgarian senior men team
- Mayor Nikolay Grozev during Opening Ceremony"