Down Syndrome Athlete Alper Öztürk, Who Lost His Mother in the Earthquake, Won 7 Gold Medals at the World Championships

Turkish athlete Alper Öztürk achieved a historic success at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships held in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, between 13-19 Haziran. Competing in the men's senior category, the athlete with Down syndrome became the world champion in a total of seven branches, including pommel horse, rings, floor exercise, horizontal bar, parallel bars, vault, and all-around. With this tremendous success, Öztürk crowned the championship with exactly 7 gold medals. The successful athlete made Turkey proud and turned his life story into an epic of success by having the İstiklal Marşı played at each of his podium appearances. This historic victory in Sofia went down in history as the biggest turning point and peak of his sports career.

Alper Öztürk's journey to this peak was shaped by overcoming deep pain and deprivation. He started gymnastics in 2016, at the age of 24, with the great support and encouragement of his mother, Fatma Öztürk. However, they experienced the greatest tragedy of their lives in the 6.6 magnitude earthquake that shook İzmir on 30 Ekim 2020. Having lost his father years ago, Öztürk was trapped under the rubble of Doğanlar Apartmanı in Bayraklı on the day of the earthquake, along with his mother and his brother with Down syndrome, Buğra. Alper and his brother Buğra were rescued injured from the rubble and managed to hold on to life after their treatment at Ege Üniversitesi Hastanesi. However, the athlete lost his mother, Fatma Öztürk, in this devastating disaster and, despite this immense pain, returned to sports with the support of his siblings.

Continuing his gymnastics career with determination instead of giving up after this great tragedy he experienced, Öztürk began to make a name for himself frequently with his successive achievements in the international arena. First, he succeeded in standing on the championship podium at the Trisome Games (Down Syndrome World Sports Games) held in Antalya in 2024. Then, he proved his superiority over his rivals by winning seven gold medals at the first European Championships held in İstanbul in Haziran of 2025. Thanks to this perseverance and determination, he practically put an embargo on medals in international competitions in a short time. Öztürk's achievements were considered a concrete indicator not only of his talent but also of his relentless perseverance in overcoming difficulties.

Behind the scenes of this historic success lies the undeniable effort of İlhan Karanlık, who has been the athlete's coach for 10 years and is called 'Father' by Alper. Karanlık pointed out that they made great sacrifices by explaining in detail the athlete's devotion during the period before his mother's passing and the difficult earthquake trauma experienced afterwards. The coach emphasized that this process was a voluntary endeavor beyond materiality, offering his thanks to everyone, including Alper's siblings, who never left him alone. In addition, Karanlık stated that Adem Baş, competing in the youth category at the championship, also won 5 gold medals, meaning that Turkey returned from the tournament with a highly proud picture, with a total of 12 medals. Karanlık's accounts revealed the spirit of belonging, love, and disciplined teamwork behind Alper's individual success.

After declaring his championship on the rings at the World Championships in Sofia, Alper Öztürk's shouting 'Anne' for his mother, whose memory he keeps alive, deeply affected both the arena audience and all sports lovers. This emotional moment went down in history as an unforgettable scene symbolizing that all the successes in the athlete's career were won with the strength derived from that immense pain and his mother's legacy. On this occasion, Coach İlhan Karanlık also stated that all children, regardless of whether they have autism or Down syndrome, should meet sports at an early age, and that gymnastics plays a critical role in helping these individuals hold on to social life. Noting that children engaged in sports become disciplined individuals with high self-esteem, away from bad habits, Karanlık made important recommendations encouraging all families in this direction. The national team, aiming for new successes both as a team and in individual rankings in the championships to be held in Meksika in the future, aims to resolutely continue its march on the world stage with this inspiring story.