Ebru Bolat qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games! “Dreams come true through perseverance”

• Ebru Bolat achieved the performance on the occasion of the last tournament in which the Olympic tickets were awarded, held in Hyeres, in France.

Constanta’s yachting champion Ebru Bolat fulfilled her dream, towards which she sailed with perseverance: qualifying for the Olympic Games!

The 24-year-old athlete will represent Romania at the Paris Games, this summer, in the yachting competitions, qualifying on the occasion of the last tournament in which Olympic tickets were awarded, held in Hyeres, in France. At this race, Ebru placed first in the Ylca 6 class, totaling 70 points in ten races. Twice he took first place, twice he was second and once third. In the rest of the races she was in the top 10, and in one race she was disqualified. “A great team for a common goal. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the support. This is just the beginning. The story ends with the Olympic Games and I will make sure to be in the best shape”, said Ebru Bolat.

“He wants to inspire as many Romanians as possible to discover this sport”

“Dreams come true through perseverance, as Ebru Bolat succeeded. She aims to change the popularity of yachting in Romania. He wants to inspire as many Romanians as possible to discover this sport and love it. She strongly believed that she could compete at the international level and qualified Romania for the next edition of the Olympic Games in 2024, in Paris. Welcome to Team Romania, Ebru Bolat!”, says the Facebook page of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee.

Double European champion, but also world vice-champion

Ebru Bolat is double European champion, in the Zoom8 and Optimist classes, but also world vice-champion, in Zoom8. In 2015, he placed 2nd at the European Zoom8 Championship and 5th at the World Championship. A year later, he finished 6th in the European Youth Championship, in the 29er class. Spotiva from Constanța holds the title of national champion in the Ilca 6 class for seniors, an Olympic class, and is in the world top 50.

“Your help meant a lot”

“Dear yachting friends! We are pleased to announce that our athlete Ebru Bolat has qualified Romania for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the ILCA6 class! Congratulations Ebru, congratulations to the Bolat family and everyone who supported our Olympic project. Your help mattered enormously and without the resources you allocated we could not have been on the Olympic map today”, is the message of the Romanian Yachting Federation.

Romania’s third participation in the Olympic Games

COSR specifies that it is for the third time in history that Romania will have yachting athletes at the star of the Olympic competition. In 1980, at the Moscow Olympic Games, Mihai Butucaru (taking 15th place in the Finn Class), Mircea Carp and Adrian Arendt (in the Flying Dutchman Class – 13th place and in the Tornado Class – 11th place), Andrei Chiliman and Cătălin Luchian competed. At the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996, in the Finn Class, Mihai Butucaru finished in 28th place, and Horia Ispaș, in the Laser class, was 48th.

“Many hours we waited for wind”

In February of this year, Ebru Bolat took 30th place out of 110 at the European Championship in Greece, held in Athens.

“Many hours we waited for wind. Usually there are no races with less than 5 knots, but the fact that the organizers had the pressure to validate the contest (minimum 4 races to have a European championship and minimum 6 to be considered continental qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics) forced races with 2-3 nodes.

When the wind is this weak, the lighter athletes have an advantage, although I no longer feel that the weak wind is a weakness like it was a few years ago, I have to work on making it a strength. And the two European countries that qualified (Lithuania and Croatia) did very well these days and finished 2nd and 4th respectively. Only the last two days we had wind after 14:00. So almost half of the runs were done in one day. And on the last day with the last possible start at 15:00 and with the wind coming only after noon, the girls only had one race.

“I trust that this is my way”

At the past world championships where we had different conditions, with enough wind in almost all the races, we came out ahead as a European country. But that’s our sport of yachting. You don’t know what’s coming in the competition and you have to be at your best in all conditions to have the best possible chance. And then you have to be mentally motivated and confident every moment, 6 days, from the moment you hit the water until you cross the finish line of the last race. On days when you are waiting a long time on the water it is more of a challenge.

After Mar del Plata I set out to win the Europeans. I didn’t earn them. But I choose to train even harder in every way. Allah, God, knows the path He has put me on and these experiences are lessons I must learn to get where He wants to take me. I trust that this is my way. And I will put in all the necessary effort or more to make it a reality.

In a week we leave for Palma, to do our best in all conditions and then we test how we are at TrofeoSofia. A perfect practice for the Last Chance Regatta in Hyeres in April to qualify.

Thank you to everyone who supports and encourages me along this path. What an exciting road! It would be boring if it were too easy!”, said Ebru Bolat.

Tribute to grandmother Nuriezan Bolat

Previously, the athlete from Constanta had ranked 39th out of 101 at the World Championship in Mar del Plata, “one of the best results for me so far”. Ebru paid tribute to her grandmother, Nuriezan Bolat, who died on January 7, 2024, a person she was very close to and to whom she will be eternally grateful.

“We were very close to qualifying the country. However, the emotions overwhelmed me on the last day and I couldn’t show in the results the improvement I felt in the last year. I want to thank my grandmother, Nuriezan Bolat (also known as Agiani), who left us last Sunday, 7/01/2024. Those close to me kept the news from me until after the last day of racing yesterday, when I was told the news. She took me to yachting training every day when I was little, 15 years ago. It took me and my brother for an hour through traffic, we changed two buses every day, to Lake Siutghiol in Constanța, to sail for one or two hours daily. Then he would wait for us to return with delicious food, which I will miss very much. Nothing compares to the food that grandma makes. Safe way to the Agian angels, and thank you for shaping my life in this beautiful direction. I can do what I love because of you. For that, thank you”, said Ebru Bolat.

“Grateful for all the support received”

“Thank you for all the support received from home, the team behind the scenes who work hard so that I can represent Romania abroad. The fight continues! There is no time to rest. I have a second chance in a month in Athens, at the European Championship, also the European Continental Qualifier, two places. Congratulations to all the winners and countries that qualified for this event! You did very well, respect! Grateful for all the support received. I’m already thinking about the European Championships!”, said Ebru Bolat.

CLARIFICATION

Law 190 of 2018, in article 7, states that journalistic activity is exempt from some provisions of the GDPR Regulation, if a balance is maintained between freedom of expression and the protection of personal data.

The information in this article is of public interest and is obtained from open public sources.

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The Constanta champion Ebru Bolat, a university graduate in England. The next major challenge – qualifying for the Olympic Games (PHOTO GALLERY)