Yunus Özel

Yunus Özel (born August 18, 1987 ) is a Turkish wrestler . In 2014 he became vice world champion in the Greco-Roman style in the weight class up to 71 kg body weight.

Career

Yunus Özel began wrestling as a teenager in 1998. Since then, Sefer Sari has been his trainer. He concentrates on the Greco-Roman style and starts for the wrestling club Sakarya Hendek.

He got his first international test in 2004 when he was used at the Junior European Championships (age group cadets) in Albena. He just missed the medal ranks there in the weight class up to 63 kg with 4th place. His next start at an international championship was only in 2007, when he took part in the lightweight European championships (age group Juniors) in Belgrade . He came in 5th place.

With the seniors it took Yunus Özel a few years until he could qualify for further international championships in Turkey, where wrestling is very popular and which has many world class wrestlers. His main competitors in those years were Şeref Eroğlu , Seref Tüfenk and Selçuk Çebi . It wasn't until 2014 that Yunus Özel won a starting place at the European Championships in Vantaa, Finland. He immediately won a medal in the weight class up to 71 kg body weight. On the way to this success, he defeated Henri Palomäki from Finland, Sergejs Mironovs from Latvia and Armen Wardanjan from Armenia. He suffered a defeat in the fight against Rasul Chunayev from Azerbaijan. In 2014 he also started at the World Cup in Tashkent. He defeated there in the same weight class Fernande Vicente Gomez from Mexico, Ionel Puşcaşu from Romania, Rasul Tschunajew and Warscham Boranjan from Armenia. In the final, however, he was defeated by Tschingis Labasanow from Russia just on points (13), with which he won a World Cup silver medal.

In 2015, Yunus Özel was unable to repeat these successes at the international championships. At the 1st European Games, which were held in Baku in June 2015, he lost in the weight class up to 71 kg in his first fight against the Belarusian Pavel Ljach. Since this did not reach the final, he was eliminated and only came in 13th place. At the 2015 World Cup in Las Vegas, he won his first fight against Kazuhiro Hanayama from Japan, but then lost to Justin Harry Lester from the United States. This also did not reach the final, so that only the 15th place remained for Yunus Özel.

In January 2016, Yunus Özel became Turkish champion in the weight class up to 71 kg ahead of Emre Basar, Murat Dag and Ilker Sönmez. If he wants to qualify for participation in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he would have to change the weight class, as the one up to 71 kg is not Olympic.

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class	Results
2004	4th	Junior European Championship (Cadets) in Albena / Bulgaria	up to 63 kg	Winner: Vladimir Lohoyda, Ukraine
2007	5.	Junior European Championship (Juniors) in Belgrade	Light	behind Alexander Maksimovic , Serbia, Rafik Huseinow , Azerbaijan, Bálint Korpási , Hungary and Mihran Harutjunjan , Russia
2009	20th	Golden Grand Prix in Baku	Light	Winner: Farid Mansurow , Azerbaijan ahead of Afschin Bjabangard, Iran and Tamas Lörincz, Hungary
2011	1.	Dan Kolow & Nikola Petrow tournament in Burgas	Light	before Georgian Carpen , Romania and Manuchar Turmanidze, Georgia
2012	20th	Dan Kolow & Nikola Petrow tournament in Sofia	Welter	Winner: Ilian Georgiev, Bulgaria ahead of Manuchar Tschadaia , Georgia
2014	3.	Vehbi Emre tournament in Sofia	up to 71 kg	behind Rasul Tschunajew, Azerbaijan and Mindia Zukulidze, Georgia
2014	5.	Dan Kolow & Nikola Petrow tournament in Sofia	up to 71 kg	Winner: Abujasid Manzigow , Russia ahead of Armen Wardanyan , Armenia
2014	3.	EM in Vantaa	up to 71 kg	after a victory over Henri Palomäki, Finland, a defeat against Rasul Chunayev and victories over Sergejs Mironovs, Latvia and Armen Wardanyan
2014	2.	World Cup in Tashkent	up to 71 kg	after victories over Fernande Vicente Gomez, Mexico, Ionel Puşcaşu, Romania, Rasul Tschunajew and Warscham Boranjan, Armenia and a defeat against Tschingis Labasanow, Russia
2015	2.	Vehbi Emre & Hamit Kaplan tournament in Istanbul	up to 71 kg	behind Tamas Lörincz , Hungary, in front of Ruslan Zarew, Kyrgyzstan and Sachino Davitaia, Georgia
2015	13.	1. European Games in Baku	up to 71 kg	after losing to Pavel Lyach, Belarus
2015	8th.	Wladyslaw Pytlasinski tournament in Warsaw	up to 71 kg	Winner: Tamas Lörincz ahead of Mathias Maasch, Germany
2015	15th	World Cup in Las Vegas	up to 71 kg	after defeating Kazuhiro Hanayama, Japan and losing to Justin Harry Lester, USA
2016	1.	Ljubomir Ivanovic Gedza-Intern. in Belgrade	up to 71 kg	before Alexander Paiwin, Russia, Davor Štefanek and Goran Sremac, both Serbia

Explanations

• all competitions in Greco-Roman style
• WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship
• Lightweight up to December 31, 2013 up to 66 kg, welter weight up to 74 kg body weight; Since January 1, 2014, a new weight classification has been in effect by the World Wrestling Association UWW (formerly FILA)

literature

• Trade journal Der Ringer

Web links

Profile of Yunus Özel at the Institute for Applied Training Science