Arıcan inspires Turkey’s next gymnastics stars
It’s the kind of accomplishments he wouldn’t have believed before he and teammates like Adel Asım and İbrahim Çolak achieved them.
“We are a really good generation,” he said. “Before, if you ask me about a Turkish Olympic medallist or World Champion, I’d say it was really hard. But now dreams come true.”
It’s been a team effort, literally, he says, as he credits the federation, coaches, physiotherapists and others for the continued growth and sustained success of the programme.
He hopes he’ll be part of that team effort in a different way, too. Arıcan is now the president of the Göztepe Gymnastics Club where more than 1,000 young gymnasts train.
“When I won the Olympic medal, I went to the academy and all the children came to touch it,” he said. “They’re really lucky. They think, ‘OK, if Coach Ferhat can do it, I can do it.’”
That connection to the next generation drives him as much as anything.
“One kid starting gymnastics because of me – that’s more important than any medal,” he said. “My next goal is Göztepe Gymnastics Club will be Olympic champion. Why not?”
For now, Arıcan is focused on the 2025 Worlds. But he’s not ruling out a fourth appearance at the Olympic Games when they head to LA in 2028.
“I didn’t decide yet,” he says of LA. “When I take the World Championship medal, I will decide… but why not continue to LA? Why not a fourth Olympic Games in Turkish history?”