Riza Kayaalp gave a date: Right on my birthday.

12.02.2026 18:01

National wrestler Rıza Kayaalp, who returned to the mat with the Zagreb Open Wrestling Tournament, has set his sights on the 2028 Olympics. Stating that the only missing medal in his career is the "Olympic gold," Rıza pointed out that the wrestling competitions in Los Angeles 2028 coincide with his birthday and expressed his desire to win a gold medal.

National wrestler Riza Kayaalp, who returned to the mat after a long break with his championship at the Zagreb Open Wrestling Tournament, stated that he emerged "stronger and renewed" from the challenging process.

COMPETED IN AN OFFICIAL MATCH AFTER 610 DAYS

Riza Kayaalp, who has 3 Olympic medals, 5 world championships, and 12 European championships in his career, competed in an official match after 610 days. In his 4 matches at the Zagreb Open Wrestling Tournament, Riza only gave away 1 point, establishing a significant superiority over his opponents and returning to the top of the podium. Riza Kayaalp, who returned to the mat with a gold medal, shared his experiences during the challenging period he faced while being away from wrestling and his career goals with an AA reporter.

Riza mentioned that he could not participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games despite qualifying due to the medication he used for health issues, but with the acceptance of his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the obstacle to his wrestling was removed. He described his experiences during this process with the following words:

'THE MESSAGES AT CAS WERE VERY EFFECTIVE'

"I can say that the worst thing that could happen to an athlete who has achieved such great success happened to me. A very big event occurred due to a very simple thing. I have tinnitus, which is still ongoing. I got into a very difficult situation because of the medication called 'Vastarel' that I used for this condition, which caused me extreme distress. I even asked my doctor, and we have messages about it. Those messages were very effective at CAS. As an athlete who has achieved this much success, I always dreamed of overcoming this difficult situation, returning to my work, and being able to quit whenever I wanted during this process. Thank God, we won the fight we put up. I returned to the mat. Now I want to experience a few more championships and say goodbye to the mat that way. I think that would be a fitting farewell for me."

'I FEEL RENEWED'

Emphasizing that what he experienced increased his motivation even more, Riza Kayaalp said, "I became very ambitious. There was a renewal. There was fatigue. During this 1.5 years, the desire to work like before came back. The desire to be a champion was already there, but now there is even more. From this perspective, I feel renewed."

'I WANT TO WIN A MEDAL FOR MY COUNTRY'

Considering continuing until the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, Riza stated, "I have a period of about 1.5-2 years ahead of me. I want to evaluate this time in the best way for my country. I say for my country, look, it is not very important for me whether I win a medal for myself or not. I want to win a medal for my country. I have been an athlete who has been saying this for 5-6 years. We have already gained many benefits both spiritually and materially. I had goals to use my talent to the fullest for my country's success and to return with championships. Those goals continue. I hope to win a few more championships. Breaking the European record and perhaps finishing this with the Olympic gold medal I dream of would be nice."

'A BIG THING HAPPENED TO ME FROM A SMALL THING'

Thanking those who stood by him during difficult times, the national wrestler continued his words:

"Everyone is there for you in good times, but the people who are there for you in bad times are your family, your mother, father, spouse, children, and friends. They are always there for us. One of the people who experienced the biggest difficulties during this process was my wife Zeynep. I thank her very much. There were times when I was stressed. There were times when she took me very lightly. My brother Taha, coach Abdullah, our coaches here, they were always by my side. May God bless them all. I swear, there is nothing more beautiful than having friends by your side in bad times. Because from something as small as a hair, a very big thing happened to me. But having friends by your side at that moment somewhat comforts you. Otherwise, the stress we experienced was incredible. This should be seen as a blessing. Since something involuntary happened to us, maybe we were saved from worse things. I don't know, our direction changed, maybe this time some things will be destined. So we need to think positively. After all, we all live in a temporary world. We will do our duty. These are worldly struggles. We will strive to do something for our country. After all, everything will remain in this world."

'I HAVE MISSED IT A LOT'

When Riza Kayaalp was asked, "What did you feel when you competed after 610 days?" he replied, "We went to the scale around 7:00 in the morning. I said, 'Wow.' My friends were with me, of course, everyone had not woken up yet. I had this excitement. Because actually, there was the happiness of being able to return and experience that stress again. It was a beautiful feeling. I really missed it. Of course, I was a bit stressed, there was a bit of excitement for the first match. There was more excitement than before, but it wasn't to the extent that I couldn't use my strength. Everything changes when you step on the mat. There was that excitement. This tournament was also good for me to get rid of that excitement. It was also very good for me to see myself again. It made me say, 'Riza, you are good, you can do this from now on, you can succeed.'

'YOU WILL SEE A DIFFERENT RIZA'

After winning his first 2 matches at the Zagreb Open with a technical superiority of 9-0, Riza commented on how he maintained his form:

"Actually, I am someone who constantly works at home. Because I had made a place for myself like a gym in the basement to play with my children and to be able to train more comfortably during the breaks. That had a big impact. I have been training regularly for the last year. I play with my children, I train Ay Vera, and I was also training myself. I have been doing mat training for the last 2 months. But I didn't do much mat training before that. When I entered the mat in terms of strength and power, there wasn't much difference compared to the old Riza. In fact, I was even better. Because I prepared a certain program for myself and strengthened my weak points. Wrestling and weight training can sometimes be a bit challenging when done together. That's why I kept my strength and power up by doing plenty of weight training. For the last two months, I have been preparing for this by doing plenty of wrestling training.

'THE GOAL TO OVERCOME RUSSIAN WRESTLER KARELIN'

Rıza, who shares the title of the wrestler with the most European championships with Russian Aleksandr Karelin, will go to the 2026 European Wrestling Championship to be held in April in Tirana, the capital of Albania, for a record. Emphasizing that he will prepare very well for the European Championship, Rıza said, "When the event happened to me, I thought, 'Am I not going to break this record?' He was also sad about it. Just think, you have made it to the finals 14 times, you have become European champion 12 times, and you need one more championship for the record, and something you never wanted happens to you. I was so close to the record that they said was unbreakable, and obstacles are coming up. Not just wrestling, but other obstacles are coming up. But thank God everything has been resolved. Of course, winning the 13th championship and having the European record in my country would be a nice feeling. Maybe it will be a record that cannot be broken for a long time. Winning so many championships in a branch like Greco-Roman is really very difficult. I mean, if you had told me this when I was little, it would have seemed a bit unrealistic; it was actually hard to even dream of. Therefore, I need to prepare very well for the European Championship; that is my priority. Because opportunities can sometimes slip away. Small things can happen to us. That's why I want to show all my efforts to not leave it for the next year, adjusting my diet, body, weight, everything accordingly, and go to the championship like that." he evaluated.

'WRESTLING COMPETITIONS ON MY BIRTHDAY IN LOS ANGELES 2028'

When reminded that the only missing medal in his career is the "Olympic gold," Rıza pointed out that the wrestling competitions in Los Angeles 2028 coincide with his birthday.

In response to the question, "Is Olympic championship still among your goals?" the national wrestler said, "Yes, yes. How could it not be? After all, we were born again. I feel like I have started wrestling again in a way. There was also excitement about going to the championship. As I said, the Zagreb Open was good for me to see myself. After this tournament, I have already adjusted my goal according to the Olympics." he concluded his words.