Yasemin Can
Yasemin Can is a European champion Kenyan female long distance runner representing Turkey competing in the 5,000 m and 10,000 m events. She is a member of Enkaspor in Istanbul.
She never competed for Kenya in professional races. On March 13, 2016, she became officially eligible to represent Turkey at international competitions.Career
Can earned a quota spot for the women's 5000 m event in the 2016 Summer Olympics running 15:08.46 in the Turkish Indoor Championships in Istanbul. She secured another quota spot for 10000 m event running 31:30.58 at the Turkish Championships in Mersin. She set a new European under-23 record with her time.
She took part at the Golden Gala in Rome, Italy of 2016 IAAF Diamond League, and placed the 6th rank in the 5,000 m event with 14:37.61, setting the best time of the year for an African-born athlete now representing a European nation.
Can won the gold medal in the women's 10,000 m event at the 2016 European Athletics Championships held in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Finishing at 31:12.86, she improved her own European under-23 record by 18 seconds, she had set at the Turkish Championships in Mersin on May 1, 2016. Can won her second gold medal in the 5,000 m event at the same championship.
At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, she was a finalist in the fastest 10.000m race in the history. She placed 7 while recording a Personal Best time of 30:26:41.
If Can would have been 3 weeks younger, this would have been a Juniors World Record.
On 5 March 2017 Can won a silver medal in the 3000m at the 2017 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade behind Laura Muir.
Can won the gold medal in the women's 10,000 m event at the 2017 European Athletics U23 Championships held in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Finishing at 31:39.80. Can won her second gold medal in the 5,000 m event at the same championship.
