Nurcan Taylan

Who is Nurcan Taylan?

Nurcan Taylan is a Turkish Olympic, world and European champion in weightlifting. She holds six European and one world record.

She was born in Mamak, Ankara as the third child of a poor family originating from the town of Hafik in Sivas, Central Anatolia. Taylan was discovered at age of eleven by the Turkish national athlete and her later coach Mehmet Üstündağ as he was her teacher in physical education at the Mamak Secondary School in Ankara.

Only 1.52 m tall, she lifted two World and five Olympic records in the women’s 48 kg category at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Nurcan Taylan is Turkey's first ever female Olympic gold medalist.

She is student of physical education and sports and member of the Yenimahalle Club in Ankara.