Cansu Akalın (born 25 August 1998) is a Turkish

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

er, who plays as pivot for Adasokağı in the

Turkish Super League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The ...

and the Turkey national team.

Personal life

Cansu Akalın was born in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

, Turkey on 125 August998. Her twin sister, Selen Akalın, is a handball goalkeeper and national team member.

Club career

Akalın is tall at . She plays in the pivot position.

Çankaya Bld. Anka

Cansu played seven seasons in her hometown club Çankaya Anka Bld. GSK together with her twin sister Selen, who is a goalkeeper. She took part in the

2013–14 EHF Cup The 2013–14 EHF Cup was the 33rd edition of the EHF Cup and the second edition since the merger of the EHF Cup with the EHF Cup Winners' Cup. In the present format, the tournament began in early September with three knockout qualifying rounds, ...

Muratpaşa Bld.

For the 2016–17

season, she went together with her sister to

Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...

to join Muratpaşa Bld. SK. She was with Muratpaşa Bld. SK including the 2020–21 season. She played in the

2016–17 EHF Cup The 2016–17 EHF Cup is the 36th edition of the EHF Cup, the second most important European handball club competition organised by the European Handball Federation (EHF), and the fifth edition since the merger with the EHF Cup Winners' Cup. Tea ...

2018–19 EHF Champions League The 2018–19 EHF Champions League was the 59th edition of Europe's premier club handball tournament and the 26th edition under the current EHF Champions League format. RK Vardar defeated Telekom Veszprém 27–24 in the final to win their s ...

, 2018–19 EHF Cup, 2019–20 EHF Cup, and 2020–21 EHF European Cup.

Kastamonu Bld.

In the 2021–22 season, she transferred to Kastamonu Bld.. She played in the

2021–22 EHF Champions League The 2021–22 EHF Champions League was the 62nd edition of Europe's premier club handball tournament and the 29th edition under the current EHF Champions League format, running from 15 September 2021 to 19 June 2022. Barça won the competition ...

Konyaaltı Bld.

In 2022, she signed a deal with the

-based club Konyaaltı Bld., played in the 2022–23 EHF European Cup, and experienced her team's champion title of the cup. She was named ''Golden Seven'' () member of the 2022–23 Super League season by the

Turkey Handball Federation Turkish Handball Federation () is the governing body of handball and beach handball sports in Turkey. It was formed on February 4, 1976. The headquarters is located in Çankaya district of Ankara. It is a member of the European Handball Federati ...

Kastamonu Bld.

After one season, she returned to her former club Kastamonu Bld. in the 2023–24 Super League season.

Adasokağı

She transferred to the

Adana Adana is a large city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province, Adana province, and has a population of 1 81 ...

-based club Adasokağı for the 2024–25 Super League season. Her team became runner-up defeated by defending champion Yalaıkavak in the play-off finals by 3-1.

International career

Akalın is a member of the Turkey national team. She took part in the

2022 European Women's Handball Championship qualification This article describes the qualification for the 2022 European Women's Handball Championship and inaugural Women's EHF Euro Cup. Qualification system 32 teams registered for participation and competed for twelve places at the final tournament in t ...

matches . In 2022, she played in the national team, which became champion at the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games in

Konya Konya is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium. In 19th-century accounts of the city in En ...

, Turkey.

Honours

Individual

;

Turkish Women's Handball Super League The Turkish Women's Handball Super League () is the top professional league for Turkish women's handball clubs. It is administered by the Turkey Handball Federation, and the winners are recognized as Turkish champions. Established in the 1978– ...

: ''Golden Seven'' member (1): 2022–23 ( Konyaaltı Bld.)

Club

;

:: ''Champions'' (2): 2017–18 ( Muratpaşa Bld.), 2021–22 ( Kastamonu Bld.) :: ''Runners-up'' (3): 2018–19 ( Muratpaşa Bld.), 2022–23 ( Konyaaltı Bld.), 2024–25 ( Adasokağı) ; Turkish Women's Handball Super Cup :: ''Winners'' (2): 2018 ( Muratpaşa Bld.), 2021 ( Kastamonu Bld.) :: ''Runners-up'' (3): 2019 ( Muratpaşa Bld.), 2022 ( Konyaaltı Bld.), 2023 ( Kastamonu Bld.) ; Turkish Women's Handball Cup :: ''Winners'' (1): 2021–22 ( Kastamonu Bld.) ; EHF Women's European Cup :: ''Winners'' (1): 2022–23 ( Konyaaltı Bld.)

International

;

Turkey women's national handball team The Turkey women's national handball team is the national handball team of Turkey for women and is managed by the Turkey Handball Federation. The team achieved second place in Mediterranean Games in 2009 and championship in Islamic Solidari ...

:: ''Champions'' (1):

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

(

Islamic Solidarity Games The Islamic Solidarity Games () is a multinational, multi-sport event. Managed jointly by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Islamic Solidarity Sports Association (ISSA), the Games involve elite athletes of the OIC competing in a ...

)

References

1998 births Living people Handball players from Ankara 21st-century Turkish sportswomen Turkish female handball players Turkey women's national handball players Muratpaşa Bld. SK (women's handball) players Kastamonu Bld. SK (women's handball) players Konyaaltı Bld. SK (women's handball) players Islamic Solidarity Games medalists in handball Medalists at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games Islamic Solidarity Games gold medalists for Turkey Adasokağı SK players {{Turkey-handball-bio-stub