Recep Çelik (born June 10, 1983 in
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır (; ; ; ) is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province.
Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, ...
, Turkey) is a Turkish
racewalker
Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Race judges carefully asse ...
.
The tall athlete weighs , and is a member of the
İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyespor, where he is coached by Nikolai Radionov. He graduated 2004 in physical education and sports from the Vocational College of
Aksaray
Aksaray (, Koine Greek: Ἀρχελαΐς ''Arhelays'', Medieval Greek: Κολώνεια ''Koloneya'', Ancient Greek: Γαρσάουρα ''Garsaura'') is a city in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Aksaray Province. In 202 ...
at
Niğde University
Niğde (; grc, Νίγδη; Hittite: Nahita, Naxita) is a city and the capital of Niğde province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey at an elevation of 1,299 m. In 2017 the city population was 141,010 people.
The city is small with plenty ...
before he studied Regional Public Administration at
Anadolu University
Anadolu University ( tr, Anadolu Üniversitesi) is a public university in Eskişehir, Turkey. The university is known for its success in verbal fields such as history and communication. Its Faculty of Communication Sciences is sometimes considered ...
.
He is the holder of the national records in 10 km walk (road) and 20 km walk (road). Recep Çelik represented
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
in the
20km race walk event at the
2008 Olympics in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. He is qualified to take part in the same event at the
2012 Olympics in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
.
Çelik won the
20km event of the 2011 Balkan Race Walking Championship held on April 9 in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
, clocking 1:22.31 and setting a
new Turkish record.
He qualified for participation in the
20 km walk event at the
2012 Summer Olympics.
Doping
Çelik tested positive for the
anabolic steroid Metenolone
Metenolone, or methenolone, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) which is used in the form of esters such as metenolone acetate (brand name Primobolan, Nibal) and metenolone enanthate (brand name Primobolan Depot, Nibal Injection). Meten ...
in May 2012, and was subsequently handed a two-year ban from sports.
Personal bests
According to IAAF database, his personal bests are:
*10 km walk: 40:44 min (2011)
*20,000 m walk: 1:23:49.9 hrs (2011)
*20 km walk: 1:22:31 hrs (2011)
References
1983 births
Doping cases in athletics
Sportspeople from Diyarbakır
Turkish sportspeople in doping cases
Living people
Turkish male racewalkers
Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Olympic athletes of Turkey
Anadolu University alumni
Niğde University alumni
Izmir Büyükşehir Belediyespor athletes
21st-century Turkish people
{{Turkey-athletics-bio-stub