World Champion Shooter İsmail Keleş Sets His Sights on Los Angeles

Gendarmerie General Command Shooting Section Chief Captain İsmail Keleş spoke to an Anadolu Agency reporter. Keleş said he started shooting in 2008 at the Gendarmerie Force Sports Club and became a national athlete in 2011. He noted that he won the silver medal at the ISSF World Cup held in Milan, Italy, in 2012.

Keleş said he has competed in the Olympics 4 times at the international level and has won 2 world titles, 6 European titles and 2 Mediterranean Games titles. He said his most recent title came at the 20th Mediterranean Games, where he won 2 gold medals and set 3 records. He emphasized that he became champion of both the European and Mediterranean Games this year.

Keleş said he is preparing for the World Championship to be held in Qatar. He reminded that this competition will award the first quota for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He said his goal is to become champion and represent his country with a gold medal at the Olympics.

Stressing the importance the Gendarmerie General Command places on sports, Keleş said he owes his success to the institution. He argued that combining gendarmerie discipline with athletics produces successful athletes. He said his aim is to set an example for the public and to bring new athletes out of his institution.

Recalling the European Championship in Armenia, where they won gold and felt the pride of reciting the Independence March, Keleş said he aims to have the same march played in Qatar and to earn a Los Angeles quota.