Turkish Greco-Roman wrestler Rıza Kayaalp is targeting more world and European titles before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where he hopes to complete his career with the only major achievement missing from his collection: an Olympic gold medal.
The 36-year-old is preparing for the 2026 World Wrestling Championships, scheduled for Oct. 24 to Nov. 1 in Astana, Kazakhstan, alongside Türkiye's Greco-Roman national team at a high-altitude training camp on Mount Palandöken in Erzurum.
Kayaalp, a multiple-time European and world champion, recently extended his European record to 13 gold medals.
He now aims to maintain his winning form through four remaining major championships, two European and two world competitions, before the Los Angeles Games.
He hopes the upcoming tournaments will help him stay competitive as he pursues a fourth Olympic medal and his first gold after winning three Olympic medals during his career.
High-altitude training
Kayaalp said the Erzurum camp was his first final preparation period at such a high altitude, adding that the team hoped to benefit from the conditions as it worked to improve performance and build strength before the world championships.
"We are preparing and, God willing, we believe this camp will benefit us," he said. "Our aim is to improve our performance here, prepare in the best possible way, regain our strength and arrive at the championships in top form."
The wrestler said he could continue using Erzurum for preparations through the 2028 Olympics if the approach proved effective, potentially spending about two months there during the Olympic year.
Kayaalp said breaking the European gold medal record had been one of his most important career goals and that he was now focused on winning another world title.
"Thank God, I achieved that. Now it is time for the world championships and to win my sixth gold medal there," he said.
While another world title would not establish a new record, Kayaalp said continuing to compete and win medals until 2028 remained essential to his Olympic ambitions.
Four championships stand between Kayaalp and Los Angeles
Kayaalp said his ultimate objective was to reach the Los Angeles Olympics in peak condition, building on a career in which he has won 28 senior-level medals at European and world championships.
He said the achievement made him unique in the sport, while noting that he had also collected numerous medals in youth and junior competitions.
"We have won 28 medals at the senior level, and we are fighting to make that 29, 30 or even 32," Kayaalp said.
With four major championships remaining before the Olympics, he intends to use each competition to maintain his form and strengthen his preparation for the Games.
"We can say that we are moving steadily toward the Olympics," he said.
Kayaalp has won three Olympic medals but has yet to claim gold. The 2028 Games therefore represent an opportunity to complete his collection and bring a long career at the highest level to a fitting close.
'We owe a debt of gratitude to our state'
Beyond his sporting ambitions, Kayaalp credited state support for helping him progress from his rural upbringing to become one of Türkiye's most successful wrestlers.
He said he had never hidden his background and remained proud of the role public support had played in his development.
"I was born in a village and grew up there, and my state raised me. I never hide that, and I always say it with pride," he said.
"Our state stood by us and helped us become wrestlers. We owe a debt of gratitude to our state, and we have to repay it because it provided us with every opportunity to win medals."
Kayaalp said athletes should recognize the support they receive from their families, country and public institutions, arguing that this sense of responsibility should guide their efforts to succeed.
He also urged young people to pursue excellence beyond sports, saying Türkiye needed well-prepared young people across all fields.
"I want young people to move forward knowing that their parents, state and nation are behind them, rather than thinking only of themselves," he said. "I hope they will always achieve success."