Nazmi Avluca
Nazmi Avluca (14 November 1976, Kargı) is one of the most successful athletes in Turkish Greco-Roman wrestling, with two World Championship titles, four European titles and one Olympic medal.
Birth and Early Career
Born in Kargı district, Avluca began wrestling in 1987 at age 11 at the Bolu Wrestling Training Center, and won his first international medal in 1991 at the World Cadet Greco-Roman Wrestling Championship in Canada.
A note on his birth year: The official list of the Çorum Directorate of Culture and Tourism gives his birth year as 1975; however, independent sources — Wikipedia (Turkish and English), Wikidata and Biyografya.com — give his date of birth as 14 November 1976. Turkish Wikipedia’s own page contains an internal inconsistency: its infobox states 1976, while the page is placed in the “born in 1975” category. This page follows the infobox and the majority of independent sources, which give 1976.
Olympic, World and European Medals
The official provincial list records his career only up to 2001 (a European bronze medal); independent sources show a much longer career, including appearances at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympics as well:
- Olympics: 2008 Beijing — bronze (84 kg); he also competed at the 1996 and 2000 Games.
- World Championships: 1999 — gold (76 kg); 2009 Herning — gold (84 kg); 2006 Guangzhou — silver (84 kg); 1998 Gävle and 2005 Budapest — bronze (76 kg / 84 kg); 2011 Istanbul — bronze (84 kg)
- European Championships: gold in Budapest 1996 (74 kg), Haparanda 2004, Tampere 2008 and Baku 2010 (84 kg); silver in Vilnius 2009; bronze in Minsk 1998, Istanbul 2001 and Moscow 2006.
In 2006 he was named Greco-Roman “Wrestler of the Year” by the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA).
Recognition
In honour of his international achievements, a sports facility next to the Tevfik Kış Sports Hall in Çorum’s Ulukavak neighbourhood was named after him.