European champion Kübra Cengiz has her sights set on the World Cup

The 23-year-old national athlete Kübra Cengiz, who is pursuing a master's degree at Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University's Faculty of Sports Sciences, took the podium in two categories at the 9th FAI European Paragliding Target Championship, held in Uroi, Romania, from October 2 to 10. At the event, which brought together more than 90 athletes from 21 countries, she won gold in the women's category and bronze in the youth category.

Cengiz has been practicing the sport for about ten years. She was introduced to paragliding at the age of 13, on her father's guidance. She said she had no particular interest in the sport at first, but that her active sports background made the adjustment process easier. She took part in her first competition in Trabzon, finishing third and winning her first cup. She also completed her first solo flight.

Cengiz noted that paragliding is not an Olympic discipline but an extreme sport. She said her goal is to become world champion at the World Cup and to represent her country in the best possible way. She also expressed her wish to train more athletes and, in the future, to guide young athletes as a national team coach.

Cengiz said that, as a girl who grew up in the East, she did not face difficult conditions, and she stressed that her family has always been by her side. Emphasizing that girls should not be left alone, she drew attention to the importance of parents who show their children the difference between right and wrong.