Esra Kiraz

Esra Kiraz
Personal information
NationalityTurkish
Born1992 (age 32–33)
Turkey
Alma materKocaeli University
Years active2008–
Sport
CountryTurkey
SportArmwrestling
Event55 kg
ClubFerdi
Medal record
Women's Arm wrestling
Representing Turkey
World Armwrestling Championship
2023 Almaty 55 kg Left arm
2023 Almaty 55 kg Right arm
2022 Antalya 55 kg Left arm
2022 Antalya 55 kg Right arm
2021 Bucharest 55 kg Left arm
2021 Bucharest 55 kg Right arm
2019 Constanța 50 kg Left arm
2019 Constanța 50 kg Right arm
2018 Antalya 50 kg Left arm
2017 Budapest 50 kg Left arm
2017 Budapest 50 kg Right arm
2016 Blagoevgrad 50 kg Left arm
2016 Blagoevgrad 50 kg Right arm
2015 Kuala Lumpur 50 kg Right arm
2014 Vilnius 50 kg Right arm
2013 Gdynia J21 55 kg Left arm
2013 Gdynia J21 55 kg Right arm
2009 Rosolina Girls 50 kg Left arm
2009 Rosolina Girls1 50 kg Right arm
2008 Kelowna Girls 50 kg Left arm
2008 Kelowna Girls1 50 kg Right arm
European Armwrestling Championship
2022 Bucharest 55 kg Left arm
2022 Bucharest 55 kg Right arm
2018 Sofia 50 kg Left arm
2018 Sofia 50 kg Right arm
2016 Bucharest 50 kg Left arm
2016 Bucharest 50 kg Right arm
2015 Sofia 50 kg Left arm
2015 Sofia 50 kg Right arm
2014 Baku 50 kg Right arm
2013 Druskininkai 50 kg Left arm}
2012 Gdańsk 50 kg Left arm}
2012 Gdańsk 50 kg Right arm
2011 Antalya 50 kg Left arm
2011 Antalya 50 kg Right arm
2010 Moscow J 50 kg Right arm

Esra Kiraz (born 1992) is a Turkish armwrestler.[1] Competing in the senior women's 55 kg category, she has been world and European champion several times in both left and right arm categories.

Early life

Esra Kiraz was born into a family of sportspeople in 1992.[2][3][4][5] She went to İmam Hatip High School in Kadıköy, Istanbul.[6] As of 2012–13 she was a student at Kocaeli University.[7][8]

She grew up helping her father Ömer Kiraz with floor and wall tiling at his construction site, where she carried 50 kg (110 lb) cement bags.[6]

Sports career

Early years

At school, Kiraz was not a diligent student. She spent more of her time in the school yard. Her teacher of physical education directed her initially to play basketball. In 2006 at age 14, she was selected by her teachers to be sent to an intra-school arm wrestling tournament as no other candidate was available. She took part, and became champion in both left and right arm attracting the attention of a coach of the Istanbul Youth and Sport Directorate, who saw a future world and European champion in her.[4]

In fact she was interested in martial arts, but pursued a career as an armwrestler.[4][5] Although in the beginning her mother was against her intention, her father fully supported her.[4] Her father accompanied her at trainings, and contributed financially for her participations at international competitions. On the way to the championship, they always walked shoulder to shoulder.[6]

Club career

Kiraz became Turkish champion in the first official national competition.[4] She competed for Üsküdar Belediye Spor,[9][3][4] before she joined Haliç Su Sporları ("Golden Horn Water Sports Club").[1] During her student time, she competed at the 2013 Turkish Interuniversity Armwrestling Tournament held in Bilecik, and became champion on both arms in the 60 kg category.[7][8]

In 2014, she became Turkish champion in Kemer, Antalya, where for the first time a great number of sportspeople participated. She was so entitled to take part at the European Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan.[4] Kiraz defended her champion title at the 2015 Turkish Championship in Kemer, Antalya.[10] In 2018, she again won the Turkish champion title in both arms of the 50 kg category.[11] She was selected to the national team again following the Turkish Championship held in Eskişehir between 21 and 25 March 2022.[2]

She is nicknamed "Çelik Bilek" ("The Steel Wrist").[12][6][3]

International career

Kiraz faced her first obstacle when she was about to participate at the 2008 World Championship in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. The Turkish Bodybuilding, Fitness and Armwrestling Federation ("Türkiye Vücut Geliştirme, Fitness ve Bilek Güreşi Federasyonu, TVGFBF") did not cover the travel expenses, and she had no sponsors. Her father stepped in selling his work equipment.[6]

She was part of the national team at the 2012 World Championship held in São Vicente, Brazil.[13] After taking many medals and runners-up titles in the Youth and Junior divisions at the world and European championships, she won her first gold medal in the Senior division at the 2011 European Championship in Antalya, Turkey.[4] At the 2015 European Championship in Sofia, Bulgaria, Kiraz competed in the Senior 50 kg category against 13 opponents including some former world and European champions. On the left arm in the final, she lost to her Russian opponent, and took the silver medal. On the right arm in the final, she defeated the Russian, and became European champion.[14] Kiraz took two silver medals at the 2016 World Championship in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.[15] She became champion in both arms of the 50 kg at the 2017 World Armwrestling Championship held in Budapest, Hungary.[6][16] At the 2018 World Championship held in Antalua, Turkey, she won the gold medal in the 50 kg left arm category.[17][18][19]

Coaching

She shared her experience by coaching. Two women, Burcu Korkmaz and Beyzanur Avcı, were coached by Kiraz.[6]

International individual achievements

Year Date Location Competition Event
(kg)		 Left
rm		 Right
arm		 Ref.
2008 29 Nov – 7 Dec Kelowna 30th World Champ. Girls 50 [1][2]
2009 7–12 Sep Rosolina 31st World Champ. Girls 50 [3][4]
2010 31 May – 6 Jun Moscow 20th European Champ. Junior 50 - [5]
4–12 Dec Mesquite 32nd World Champ. Girls 50 5th 6th [6][7]
2011 9–15 May Antalya 21st European Champ. 50 [8]
28 Nov – 4 Dec Almaty 33rdWorld Champ. 50 4th - [9]
2012 3–20 May Gdańsk 22nd European Champ. 50 [10]
10–18 Sep São Vicente 34th World Champ. 50 5th 4th [11]
2013 5–12 May Druskininkai 23rd European Champ. 50 - [12]
4–7 Sep Gdynia 35th World Champ. Junior21 55 [13]
2014 18–25 May Baku 24th European Champ. 50 - [14]
4–21 Sep Vilnius 36th World Champ. 50 4th [15]
2015 1–7 Jun Sofia 25th European Champ. 50 [16]
26 Sep – 4 Oct Kuala Lumpur 37th World Champ. 50 5th [17]
2016 21–29 May Bucharest 26th European Champ. 50 [18]
1–10 Oct Blagoevgrad 38th World Champ. 50 [19]
2017 2–11 Sep Budapest 39th World Champ. 50 [20]
2018 25 May – 3 Jun Sofia 28th European Champ. 50 [21]
12–21 Oct Antalya 40th World Champ. 50 4th [22]
2019 26 Oct – 4 Nov Constanta 41st World Champ. 50 [23]
2021 23 Nov-3 Dec Bucharest 42nd World Champi. 55 [24]
2022 7–14 May Bucharest 31st European Champ. 55 [25]
14–23 Oct Antalya 43rd World Champ. 55 [26]

Honours

In 2009, she was named the "Armwrestler of the Year" in Turkey.[3][4][20]

References

  1. ^ a b "2022 Şener Arslan Türkiye Bilek Güreşi Şampiyonası Büyük Bayanlar Sol Kol Müsabaka Sonuçları" (PDF) (in Turkish). Türkiye Vücut Geliştirme Fitness ve Bilek Güreşi Federasyonu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b Türktan, Hakan; Caner Aksu (25 March 2022). "Eskişehir'de düzenlenen Bilek Güreşi Şampiyonası sona erdi". Milliyet (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Esra Kiraz kimdir cinsiyeti?" (in Turkish). Artemis Arıtım. 8 October 2017. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Dövüş Sporlarına İlgisi Nedeniyle Yöneldiği Bilek Güreşinde Rakip Tanımıyor". Haberler (in Turkish). 17 March 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Dövüşe niyet bilek güreşine kısmet". Yeni Şafak (in Turkish). 17 March 2014. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Yüksel, Pınar Yıldız (8 October 2017). "Fayans ustasının çelik bilek çırağı". Sabah (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Bilek Güreşinde Türkiye Şampiyonuyuz" (in Turkish). Kocaeli Üniversitesi. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Bilecik'te bilek güreşi heyecanı sona erdi". Eurosport (in Turkish). 15 March 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Üsküdar'ın dünya şampiyonu sultanı var". İstanbul Takipte (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  10. ^ < "Bilek Güreşi Şampiyonası son buldu. Şampiyonlar ..." SporX (in Turkish). 3 April 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  11. ^ "<Türkiye Bilek Güreşi Şampiyonası'nda dereceye giren sporcular belli oldu". Fanatik (in Turkish). 4 April 2018. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Esenlerliler Şampiyonlarla Bilek Güreşi Yaptı" (in Turkish). Esenler Belediyesi. 14 January 2022. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Bilek Güreşi Milli Takımı toplanıyor". NTV Spor (in Turkish). 9 September 2012. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  14. ^ "25. Avrupa Bilek Güreşi Şampiyonası… Esra Kiraz ve Hamza Ziypak Söyleşi" (in Turkish). Fit Sharp. 22 October 2015. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Dünya Bilek Güreşi Şampiyonası – Türkiye'ye 6 altın, 12 gümüş ve 15 bronz madalya". Üçüncü Nesil (in Turkish). 10 October 2016. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  16. ^ "39. Dünya Bilek Güreşi Şampiyonası Sona Erdi". Fanatik (in Turkish). 11 September 2017. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  17. ^ "Dünya Bilek Güreşi Şampiyonası'nda büyük başarı". Habertürk (in Turkish). 20 October 2018. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  18. ^ "Var mı bileğimizi büken?". Cumhuriyet (in Turkish). 20 October 2018. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  19. ^ "Dünya Bilek Güreşi Şampiyonası'nda büyük başarı". Lider Gazete (in Turkish). 20 October 2018. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  20. ^ "Madalya da çok skandal da". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 1 January 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
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