Buğra Ünal (born 8 May 1997) is a Turkish Olympian modern pentathlete.

Buğra Ünal
Personal information
NationalityTurkish
Born (1997-05-08) 8 May 1997 (age 27)
Turkey
Alma materGazi University
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight70 kg (150 lb)
Sport
Country Turkey
SportModern Pentathlon
Medal record
Men's modern pentathlon
Representing  Turkey
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Alexandria Mixed team relay
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2023 Ankara Mixed tem relay
UIPM Pentathlon Challenger
Gold medal – first place 2023 Bishkek Individual

Sport career

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Ünal used to perform running and swimming in his childhood with the encouragement of his father. He later attracted the attention of his trainer, who advised him to perform modern pentathlon.[1]

He is 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) tall at 70 kg (150 lb).[2]

2022

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He took the bronze medal in the Mixed team relay event with teammate İlke Özyüksel at the 2022 World Championships held in Alexandria, Egypt.[3]

In December 2022, he fell off a horse during a training session, and broke his collarbone. He had to stay away about two months from the field.[4]

2023

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He and his teammate İlke Özyüksel placed fourth in the Mixed team relay event at the 2023 European Games in Kraków, Poland.[5] In the Individual event, he failed to advance to the final after his 14th place in the semi-finals category A.[6]

At the 2023 n World Cup 's second stage in Ankara, Turkey, he and his teammate İlke Özyüksel won the goldr medal in the Mixed team relay event.[7]

Ünal captured the gold medal at the 2023 UIPM Pentathlon Challenger Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek.[4][8]

During the preparations for the 2024 Olympics, he fell off the horse once again in December 2023. He broke this time his other collarbone, and underwent a surgery. He returned to the field one month later. Soon, he had another surgery due to a hernia in his spine caused by falling off a horse. He could resume training end February 2024.[4]

2024

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He received a quota to represent his country at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.[9] He is the first Turkish male pentathlete to participate at the Olympics.[1] At the 2024 Olympic Games, he completed the épée fencing event with 225 points, the show jumping with 283 points, the 200m freestyle swimming with 296 points, the 3.2km cross-country run and pistol shooting events with 677 points. He scored 1,481 points in total, and ranked 13th.[10]

Personal life

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Buğra Ünal was born on 8 May 1997.[11][2] He studied Sport coaching in the Faculty of Sport Science at Gazi University in Ankara, and graduated in 2019.[4][7]

He is married to Büşra Karabulut Ünal from Milas, Muğla Province..[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Olimpiyatlarda ülkemizi modern pentatlonda temsi eden ilk erkek Buğr Ünal kimdir? Foto Galeri". İlk Ses (in Turkish). Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Bugra Unal". UIPM World Pentathlon. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  3. ^ Gazioğlu, Fatih (31 July 2022). "Milli sporcular İlke Özyüksel ve Buğra Ünal, karışık bayrak yarışında üçüncü oldu". Anadolu News Agency (in Turkish). Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d ""Gerçekten Delice Bir Tutku" - Buğra Ünal İle Özel Röportaj". EuroSport (in Turkish). 5 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  5. ^ Tiryaki, Erkan (23 June 2023). "Modern pentatlonda karışık çiftlerde Türkiye, 4. oldu". Anadolu News Agency (in Turkish). Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  6. ^ "3. Avrupa Oyunları'nda modern pentatlonda milli sporcu Buğra Ünal, yarı finalde elendi". Balıkesir Politika (in Turkish). 29 June 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Üniversitemizden Modern Pentatlon Dünya Kupası'nda Dünya Şampiyonluğu" (in Turkish). Gazi Üniversitesi. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  8. ^ "UIPM Pentathlon Challenger Kyrgyzstan". UIPM World Pentathlon. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  9. ^ Avşar, Halil İbrahim (8 July 2024). "Pentatlonda "tarihi olimpiyat kotası"nı kazanan Buğra Ünal, bu kez "tarihi madalya" peşinde". Anadolu News Agency (in Turkish). Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Milli sporcu Buğra Ünal, Paris 2024 Olimpiyat Oyunları'nda modern pentatlonda finale kalamadı". Star (in Turkish). 9 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Unal Bugra". Olympics. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  12. ^ "aris Yaz Olimpiyatlarına Katılan Pentatlon Sporcusu Buğra Ünal, Milas'ın Damadı". Haber ve İnsan (in Turkish). Retrieved 13 August 2024.