Fatih Emirhan (TUR), a 10-year-old athlete wi…

(TUR), a 10-year-old athlete with Down Syndrome from Turkey,
wrestled at his first World Championships on Thursday night in front of
an enthusiastic crowd.

In a special match set up by
United World Wrestling, Emirhan wrestled against his coach, Ali burak Toy (TUR), on the center stage just before the women’s freestyle finals.

Emirhan showed off some of his
best skills, scoring four points on an arm throw and a four more on an
outside trip, before he secured a pin.

The crowd went wild, and like he
had seen many wrestlers do in the days before, Emirhan did a victory
lap, smiling and jumping the whole way. After, he was presented a gold
medal by Mr. Tzeno TZENOV (BUL), UWW Europe President and UWW Vice

When he was 7 years old, his
mother, Essen Turkmen, enrolled Emirhan in wrestling so that she could
give her son every opportunity that other children get. Now, he trains
with Burak Toy four times a week, including three wrestling practices
and one swimming session.