«Lost 50 loved ones in the earthquake»- Corriere.it

Look, you’re in the final; Come on, not true…. Emine Hatun Mechaala 27-year-old Turkish middle-distance runner, has just finished her heat in the women’s 3000 meters at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul when, still out of breath, she is told the happy news. She did it, she qualified in the last act despite the seventh place in her heat (his for best time among eliminated)
. She gets excited, puts her hands on her face, is moved. At the beginning of February she was training in Spain together with Adel, a Spanish middle distance runner and European champion in the same discipline in 2017, in Belgrade. Then the call from one of her five brothers: She cried and said, “People are dying here,” recalled Mechaal, whose hometown — Antakya — was among the most devastated

since the earthquake a month ago, which killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria: I know 50 close to me who were involved and are no longer around today – he said after the race – some of my best friends, my neighbors, my cousins. My coach’s brothers and mom. And of many others we still have no news. We know nothing about them, whether they are dead or in hospitals….

Emine Hatun Mechaal in the final: How beautiful my family in the stands

In the stands of theAtakoy Arena his father and brother were there too, despite his legs being broken in the aftermath of the disaster. They waved the Turkish flag, celebrating qualifying for the final: I’ve lost most of my form in the last three weeks, but I’ve made it a point to keep my place in the lane and show people that anything is possible. Mechaal wore a black ribbon under her bib: When I heard people calling my name, I was filled with energy. Seeing my relatives in the stands was the happiest moment, because I almost lost them. After the earthquake, they slept for five days on the street in the rain. In recent weeks he has witnessed the desperation of those left without a home, he has cried at every phone call with his family: I feel sad but I run for my city. Her husband, Adel Mechaal, also runs the 3000m at these European Championships. one of the favorites for a place on the podium, after the Spanish record over the 1,500m achieved in Birmingham last weekend. There will also be two Turkish women in tonight’s 3000m final.