11.10.2026 19:10
Mert Can Akarsu, who became a youth world champion in kickboxing, which he started in Konya to lose weight, aims to become a world champion by moving up to the adults category.
The national athlete of Selçuklu Belediyespor Club, 18-year-old Mert Can Akarsu, became world champion at the Youth World Kick Boxing Championship held in Italy.
HIS NEW GOAL IS A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE SENIORS CATEGORY Akarsu, who represented Turkey in the 86 kg Full Contact category and won the gold medal, aims to move up to the seniors category and become world champion.
''I DIDN'T THINK I WOULD ACHIEVE GREAT SUCCESSES'' Stating that he has been involved in kickboxing for about 8 years, Mert Can Akarsu said, "In this 8-year journey of mine, I have 2 Turkish second places, 3 Turkish championships and 1 World Cup second place. Most recently, thank God, I became world champion at the Youth World Championship held in Italy. I started this sport at a very young age with the aim of losing weight. I was a slightly overweight child and everyone made fun of me because of that. When I first started the sport, I never thought I would come this far and achieve such great successes. However, I worked very hard, I was determined and I never gave up. Thank God, I have come to these days and achieved the world championship. During this process, we were given a lot of material and moral support. Our President Ahmet, our club presidents and our coaches never withheld their support from us. They were always by our side. We went through an intense training process and worked nonstop. Our dietitian and physiotherapist also constantly took care of me. I thank them all very much. May God be pleased with them all. Thanks to our President, we have the opportunity to work in such a high-level center. We are very proud of the success we have achieved," he said.
''NO MATTER WHAT YOUR AGE IS, DON'T HESITATE TO START SPORTS'' Akarsu, regarding his next goals, said, "God willing, in 2027, by moving up to the Seniors Category, along with a weight class change, I want to win the world championship, Turkish championship and World Cup championship in the seniors category as well. I want to say this to my friends who want to do sports: Never stay away from sports thinking that your age has passed or that you are still too young. No matter what your age is, don't hesitate to start sports. Stay away from bad habits. Kickboxing may seem like a tough sport when watched from a distance or in videos. People may think, 'They hit each other, how do they endure it?' However, when you get to know this sport closely, you understand that the situation is not as it appears. In kickboxing, besides sport, there is also brotherhood and sportsmanship. Therefore, those who want to do this sport can definitely start without hesitation," he said.
''OUR GOAL IS TO ENABLE HIM TO WIN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP'' Selçuklu Belediyespor and National Team Kick Boxing coach Mevlüt Aker also said, "In his last year in the Youth Category, Mert Can became Turkish champion at 86 kilograms and earned the right to join the national team. Then, between September 18 and 27, he competed in the 86-kilogram Full Contact division at the Youth World Championship held in Italy. He eliminated his opponents one by one, advanced to the final and finally defeated his Greek opponent to become world champion. Of course, we went through a very difficult period in this process. In addition to an intense training and preparation process, he had to lose a lot of weight. During this process, our dietitian and physiotherapist took close care of him. He also experienced some injuries due to intense training. Despite this, we implemented our training program in a planned way. As a result, Mert Can became world champion at 86 kilograms, making us all proud on behalf of the Turkish national team and our flag. Our next goal is for Mert Can to compete in the Seniors Category in 2027. With this transition, we will also change his weight category. Because in his last year in the Youth Category, Mert Can entered the tournament by losing about 8-9 kilograms. Since his body structure, height and physique are suitable for gaining weight and his physical development continues, we aim for him to compete in a heavier weight class with the right program. Our goal is to enable him to achieve the same success in the seniors category and win the world championship. We thank our Selçuklu Belediyespor Club, our club manager, our club president and, of course, most importantly, our President Ahmet Pekyatırmacı, very much for providing us with these opportunities. We will continue to repay the interest shown in us, the effort given and the opportunities provided with our successes from now on," he stated.