Emel Dereli will look to complete her summer on Saturday with another victory when she spearheads Fenerbahce’s women’s team in their bid to retain their title at the European Champion Clubs Cup Track & Field Juniors.
And this time she will have the chance to achieve it in front her own supporters as this Group A of the competition is being staged in Istanbul.
Shot putter Dereli triumphed last year in Castellon with 16.19m and she arrives here after another brilliant summer which saw her retain her European Athletics Junior title in Eskilstuna when she broke the Turkish record with 18.40m.
The 19-year-old has enjoyed a wonderful unbeaten season in 16 competitions including wins at the European Team Championships First League and the Balkan Championships and will try to extend that streak even further. As a result she has been nominated by European Athletics for the women's Rising Star award.
The Czech side of AK Olympic Brno were the defending champions 12 months ago but Fenerbahce’s women won by 3.5 points, with 113, to lift the cup.
On Saturday, the two will meet again along with AD Kladivar (SLO), Blackheath & Bromley Harriers (GBR), Sparta AM, of Denmark, who were the Group B champions last year, SK SOG Nitra (SVK), Pro Sesto Atletica (ITA) and Playas de Castellon (ESP).
That success in Spain made it a double triumph for Fenerbahce as their men kept hold of their title with 124 points from Castellon with 107.
Castellon led by one of Europe’s most talented young athletes in Poland’s Konrad Bukowiecki who triumphed last year in the shot put with a championship record throw of 19.86m and followed that up with victory in the discus.
He returns to compete this year in Istanbul hoping to show the progress he has made after having been crowned European junior shot put champion in Eskilstuna, earning him a spot on the list of nominees for 2015 European Athletics Rising Star award.
They will look for success again tomorrow once more against Castellon, AD Mass Ljubljana (SLO), Switzerland’s Group B champions LC Zurich (SUI), Sport Lisbon e Benfica (POR), TJ Sokol Opava (CZE), Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers (GBR) and Nike Klaipeda (LTU).
Leiria has the honour of hosting the action in Group B for the fifth year in a row and among the athletes competing will be Danish high jumper Jonas Klojgard Jensen who should secure maximum points for Aarhus 1900 in an outdoor season where he won the European junior title with a personal best of 2.23m.
Aarhus face Audentes Sports Club (EST), Tampereen Pyrinto (FIN), SAKA (GRE), Raheny Shamrocks (IRL), Athlete Leader Jerusalem (ISR), Atletica Vicentina Club (ITA), Mornar-Bar (MNE), Leiden Atletiek (NED) and SK SOG Nitra (SVK).
The women’s event has six teams: Audentes, Tampereen, AE Mesogeion (GRE), Sli Cualann (IRL), PAC (NED) and STB Leichtathletik (SUI).