Haldun Alagaş (born 16 November 1970) is a Turkish

karateka (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts. While moder ...

competing in the

kumite Kumite (, literally "grappling hands") is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite is the part of karate in which a person trains against an adversary. Kumite can be used to develop a particular tec ...

-70 kg division. He is multiple world and European champion and ranks first at world list in his weight division.

Personal life

Born on November 16, 1970, in Izmit, he completed his primary and high school education in his hometown. Following his graduation from the high school, In 1989, Alagaş enrolled in the

Middle East Technical University Middle East Technical University (commonly referred to as METU; in Turkish language, Turkish, ''Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi'', ODTÜ) is a prestigious public university, public Institute of technology, technical university located in Ankara, ...

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 ( ...

to study physical education. However, he dropped out already in the first semester at prep school. From 1991 on, he studied physical education and sports at

Marmara University Marmara University (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Marmara Üniversitesi'') is a Public university, public research university in Istanbul, Turkey. The university, named after the Sea of Marmara, was founded as a university in 1982. However, its ...

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 ...

, and graduated with a degree. Haldun Alagaş is married to a music teacher. The couple has a son Emir and a daughter Elif.

Sports career

Inspired by the martial art scenes in Battal Gazi films of Turkish actor

Cüneyt Arkın Fahrettin Cüreklibatır (7 September 1937 – 28 June 2022), better known by his stage name Cüneyt Arkın, was a Turkish film actor, director, producer and physician. Having starred in somewhere around 300 movies and TV series, he is widely co ...

and

films A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of Visual arts, visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are gen ...

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...

, he began with karate sport in Izmit in 1982. His first official fight was at the 1986 Turkish Karate Championships, where he became champion in the youth category. He had the red belt. With gaining success in sports at international level, karate became a lifelong passion and a life style for him. Alagaş competed between 1994 and 2005 for

Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor 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 ...

's newly formed karate team. In 2006, Alagaş transferred to

Kocaeli Büyükşehir Belediyesi Kağıt Spor Kulübü The Kocaeli Büyükşehir Belediyesi Kağıt Spor Kulübü, aka Kocaeli BB Kağıtspor, is a multi-sports club sponsored by the Metropolitan Municipality of Kocaeli in Turkey. It was founded in 1937 as "İzmit Kağıtspor", a sports club of the ...

in his hometown, where he was until 2010. Currently, he is coaching karateka in the

Kayseri Kayseri () is a large List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. Historically known as Caesarea (Mazaca), Caesarea, it has been the historical capital of Cappadocia since anc ...

Büyükşehir Belediyespor.

Achievements

Legacy

A multi-purpose indoor sport complex in

Ümraniye Ümraniye () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 46 km2, and its population is 723,760 (2023). It was separated from Üsküdar in 1987. It is bordered by Çekmeköy t ...

district of

, the

Haldun Alagaş Sports Hall Haldun Alagaş Sports Hall () is an indoor arena located in Istanbul, Turkey. Opened in December 2000, the arena mostly hosts basketball and volleyball games. It has a seating capacity for 2,468 spectators. Named after the three-times World and ...

, is named in honor of him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alagas, Haldun 1970 births Sportspeople from İzmit Living people Turkish male karateka Marmara University alumni İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor sportspeople Kocaeli Büyükşehir Belediyesi Kağıt Spor Kulübü sportspeople Karate coaches Turkish sports coaches European champions for Turkey 20th-century Turkish sportsmen 21st-century Turkish sportsmen