Young Speed Skaters in Kars Train on the Ice with Dreams of the National Team

Young athletes continuing short track training at the Kars Semi-Olympic Ice Skating Rink are working on speed, balance, endurance and technical skills under the guidance of their coaches. Some athletes are experiencing the excitement of their first medal, while others aim to be selected for the national team.

Kars Youth and Sports Provincial Director Mehmet Başköylü said that they are carrying out work on ice sports in the city and that they have developed about 300 athletes in the youth system. Başköylü said that an Olympic-oriented training system is applied in short track and that the federation's activity program includes athletes who won medals last week. Noting that there are athletes in Kars approaching national team level, Başköylü said he believes the athletes will bring medals to the city at the first Winter Olympics.

Coach Gülçin Evgi said that they train athletes in short track and won their first medals last week. Evgi said she wants her athletes to be more successful and aims to raise national and Olympic athletes.

Athletes Habip İşbaralı and Zeynep Nisa Güney also shared their goals. İşbaralı said that his first goal is to make the national team, that the facility has been training regularly for four years, and that he believes it will get better over time. Güney, who has been doing short track for about five years, said her goal is to become a national athlete, to rise step by step and to make her country proud.