Enver Yıldırım (born 18 October 1995) is a Turkish Olympian fencer who competes in the

sabre A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...

event.

Early years in fencing

Yıldırım started performing fencing in 2005. He was inspired by his older brothers who were trained by their neighbor fencing coach Mustafa Kalender. In 2010, he was selected to the national youth team, and participated at the European Cadet Fencing Championships in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, Greece.

Sport career

2015

Yıldırım took the bronze medal at the Tournoi satellite Meeting of

2014–15 Fencing World Cup The 44th FIE Fencing World Cup began in October 2014 and concluded in July 2015 at the 2015 World Fencing Championships held in Moscow. Season overview This edition was the first to feature the new Grand Prix format, consisting in nine events, th ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, Turkey. He took the bronze medal at the Normann Jørgensen Cup of the

2015–16 Fencing World Cup The 45th FIE Fencing World Cup began in October 2015 and concluded in August 2016 at the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro. The International Fencing Federation being allocated only ten events by the International Olympic Committee, as op ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, Denmark.

2017

He won the bronze medal at the 2017 European U23 Fencing Championships in

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

, Belarus. He received the silver medal in the individual sabre event at the

2017 Summer Universiade The 2017 Summer Universiade (), officially known as the XXIX Summer Universiade ( zh, t=第二十九屆夏季世界大學運動會, p=Dì èrshíjiǔ jiè xiàjì shìjiè dàxué yùndònghuì) and commonly called Taipei 2017 ( zh, t=台北201 ...

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

, Republic of China

2018

He lost the Round of 64 match at the

2018 World Fencing Championships The 2018 World Fencing Championships was held from 19 to 27 July at 2018 in Wuxi, China. Host selection On 23 November 2015, Wuxi beat the Japanese city of Fukuoka with 69 votes to 47. Schedule Twelve events were held. ''All times are local ( ...

Wuxi Wuxi ( zh, s=无锡, p=Wúxī, ) is a city in southern Jiangsu, China. As of the 2024 census, it had a population of 7,495,000. The city lies in the southern Yangtze delta and borders Lake Tai. Notable landmarks include Lihu Park, the Mt. Lings ...

, China, and was eliminated.

2019

He competed at the 2019 World Fencing Championships in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, Hungary, and was eliminated losing the match in the Round of 64. He won the bronze medal at the Satellite Meeting of the 2019–20 Fencing World Cup in

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

, Bulgaria.e

2021

He took the bronze medal at the Satellite Meeting of the

2021–22 Fencing World Cup The 2021–2022 FIE Fencing World Cup began in September 2021 and ended in July 2022 at the 2022 World Fencing Championships held in Cairo. Individual épée Men's épée Women's épée Individual foil Men's foil Women's foil ...

in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

2022

He won the bronze medal with teammates Tolga Aslan, Muhammed Anasız and Kerem Çağlayan in the Team Sabre event at the

2022 European Fencing Championships The 2022 European Fencing Championships was a fencing competition that took place from 17 to 22 June 2022 in Antalya, Turkey. Schedule Medal summary Men's events Women's events Medal table Results Men Foil individual Épée individua ...

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 ...

, Turkey Yıldırım captured the gold medal in the Individual Sabre event at the

2021 Islamic Solidarity Games ‌The 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games () were the 5th edition of the event held from 9 to 18 August 2022 at Konya, Turkey under the aegis of Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF). It was the first time in history that the event was organise ...

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. At the

2022 Mediterranean Games The 2022 Mediterranean Games (), officially known as the XIX Mediterranean Games and commonly known as Oran 2022, was an international multi-sport event held from 25 June to 6 July 2022 in Oran, Algeria. Oran was announced as the host city at th ...

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

, Algeria, he lost the Round of 16 match and placed 11th. He competed at the

2022 World Fencing Championships The 2022 World Fencing Championships were held from 15 to 23 July 2022 in Cairo, Egypt. Schedule Twelve events were held. ''All times are local (UTC+2).'' Medal summary Medal table Men Women References External linksOfficial website ...

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, Egypt, and lost the Round of 32 match and placed 21st.

2023

In the Team Sabre event at the

2023 European Games The 3rd European Games (), also known as the 2023 European Games or Kraków-Małopolska 2023, was an international multi-sport event held from 21 June to 2 July 2023 in Kraków and Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Małopolska, Poland. It was the first ...

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, Poland, he and his teammates Tolga Aslan, Ahmet Turgut Taflan and Furkan Yaman placed 10th. He competed at the

2023 World Fencing Championships The 2023 World Fencing Championships were held from 22 to 30 July 2023 in Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-mo ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, Italy, and placed 21st losing the Round of 32 match. He won the bronze medal at the 2023 European Fencing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Yıldırım captured the gold medal at the Tournoi satellite Meeting of the 2023–24 Fencing World Cup in

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

, Belgium. He took the bronze medal at the Tournoi satellite Meeting of the 2023–24 Fencing World Cup in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

, Georgia.

2024

He received the bronze medal at the Coupe du Monde Meeting of the 2023–24 Fencing World Cup in

, Hungary. Yıldırım won the bronze medal alongside Tolga Aslan, Muhammed Furkan Kalender and Furkan Yaman in the Team Sabre event at the

2024 European Fencing Championships The 2024 European Fencing Championships was a fencing competition that took place from 18 to 23 June 2024 in Basel, Switzerland. Schedule Medal summary Men's events Women's events Medal table Results Men Foil individual Épée indiv ...

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, Switzerland. Yıldırım won a quota in the Zonal Qualifying Tournament – Europe at the

Fencing at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Qualification Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: foil, épée, and sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fencers specialise in one of these ...

Differdange Differdange (; or locally ; ) is a Communes of Luxembourg, commune with List of towns in Luxembourg, town status in south-western Luxembourg, west from the Luxembourg City, country's capital. It lies near the borders with Belgium and France an ...

, Luxembourg to represent his country at the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France. He competed in the sabre individual event at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and was eliminated after losing the Round of 16 match. He is a member of Olympia Fencing Club in Ankara. He is coached by Valeriy Shturbabin, his brother Hakan Yıldırım, Ahmet Ant and Emre Çokal. He trains at Eryaman Olympics Preparation Center in Ankara.

Personal life

Enver Yıldırım was born to a

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...

-origin mother and a

Malatya Malatya (; ; Syriac language, Syriac ܡܠܝܛܝܢܐ Malīṭīná; ; Ancient Greek: Μελιτηνή) is a city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Malatya Province. The city has been a human settlement for thousands of y ...

-origin father in

Altındağ Altındağ is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Ankara Province, Turkey. Its area is 123 km2, and its population is 413,994 (2022). It covers the northeastern part of the city of Ankara. Its elevation is . Demographics ...

district of

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 Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

on 18 October 1995. He is the third oldest of four brothers. Yıldırım is married to Nergis Emanet. He studied Physical Education in the Faculty of Sport Science at

Ankara University Ankara University () is a public university, public research university in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the History of the Republic of Turkey, formation of the Turkish republ ...

, graduating in 2017. The same year, he entered Institute of Health Science at

Hacettepe University Hacettepe University () is a public research university in Ankara, Turkey. It was established on 8 July 1967. It is ranked first among the Turkish universities by University Ranking by Academic Performance in 2021. The university has two main c ...

for his

postgraduate education Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have ...

in Sport Science and Technology. In 2020, he graduated as a Sport specialist. As of 2024, he is preparing a doctorate thesis in the Faculty of Sport Science at

Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University (informally ''ÇOMÜ'') is a Turkish public research university located in Çanakkale province, near Gallipoli and its surrounding towns. It is a member of the Balkan Universities Network, the European Univers ...

. In 2019, he was appointed as a teacher of physical education at Ankara Adnan Menderes Anatolian İmam Hatip High School.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yildirim, Enver 1995 births Living people People from Altındağ, Ankara Sportspeople from Ankara Ankara University alumni Hacettepe University alumni Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University alumni Turkish schoolteachers 21st-century Turkish sportsmen Turkish male sabre fencers Medalists at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games Mediterranean Games competitors for Turkey Fencers at the 2022 Mediterranean Games European Games competitors for Turkey Fencers at the 2023 European Games Fencers at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic fencers for Turkey