Mete Gazoz, who participated in the “Southern Career Fair” (GUNKAF) hosted by Akdeniz University with the support of the Presidential Human Resources Office and 12 universities, met with university students.
In his speech at the interview, the national archer stated that the secret of his success is hidden in three items, and the first one is discipline.
Mete Gazoz stated that he does not believe that there is such a thing as motivation and that discipline is what will bring success and said:
“No matter how bad your morale is, you have to do whatever you have to do that day. Discipline is number one. Secondly, it is very important to do a job you love. When you do a job you love, even if you have difficulties, you can overcome it very easily. Lastly, having a team. Because no matter how talented you are or how hard you work, there are things that are impossible to achieve on your own. For example, the Olympic championship I won is not something you can win by training, working and improving yourself alone. They say ‘there is no such thing as impossible’, but yes. “Guys. This is really impossible.”
“IF THE FAMILY APPROACHES YOU POSITIVELY, IT IS A GREAT ADVANTAGE”
When asked how coming from an athlete family reflected on him, Mete Gazoz stated that his father, a former national archer, did not force him to do sports, and there were times when he even prevented him from shooting arrows.
Emphasizing that communication and attitude within the family are very important, the national athlete said, “If my family had put pressure on me saying ‘You will be an athlete, you will be an archer too’, it would not be possible for me to become an archer. I would do another sport. If the family approaches you positively, it is a great advantage.” said.
Mete Gazoz emphasized that he does not have any anxiety or fear about his future at the moment and stated that before he achieved success, he was never afraid of “What will I do if I fail, if I do not get the result I want in the competition?”
Stating that he knows he will be successful in archery and that he has high self-confidence, Mete Gazoz said, “We spend time together in the national team camp. There may be times when I have to take some responsibility in team shooting. At those times, there is a fear of letting down my teammates and the technical team behind me. But I have a concern about myself.” or I don’t have any concerns.” He made a statement.
Mete Gazoz, after becoming the champion, went up to the podium and sang the National Anthem, and when he came down, he stated that he was no longer a champion, and that the next championships were ahead of him, and said, “As long as you stay on the podium, you are a champion. This is my perspective on the medal. I have never attributed any meaning to any medal. If you look at it this way, it is always more “More will come. Because I was still working, it took me a long time to realize that I was an Olympic champion. When I returned to my country, my life changed, everything was very different.” he said.
“I WILL NEVER BE A COACH IN LIFE”
Explaining that their biggest priority while doing this sport is to collect data, Mete Gazoz said that data on training, running, and even morning fatigue are kept.
Mete Gazoz underlined that they were able to look at the tournament in front of them more realistically with the data collected and said, “If the athlete can meet these conditions, he can win the tournament. If you need to score 28 out of 30 points to win a tournament and you score 26 in training, you cannot win that tournament anyway. We are looking at it realistically. We are ready to request more data.” “We have started. Even the color of our urine in the toilet is checked so that the condition of our body can be determined. It is now clear where I will be and what I will do on April 12, 2027. This program is made by the coaches, your only job is to train. The easiest part in this business is actually being an athlete.” he said.
On the question of what he wants to do in the future, the national archer said, “I will not be a coach in life. This is more difficult in archery. I want to do two things. One is to do nothing. The other is to be the President of the International Olympic Committee.” he said.
At the end of the interview, Akdeniz University Rector Prof. Dr. Özlenen Özkan presented a plaque to Mete Gazoz.