Serap Özçelik

Serap Özçelik Arapoğlu (born 18 February 1988) is a Turkish karateka, who competes in the kumite 50–53 kg divisions.^[1][2] She won a world title in 2014 and a European title in 2011, 2012 and 2014.^[3]

Serap Özçelik
Özçelik at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games
Born	(1988-02-18) 18 February 1988 (age 37) Istanbul, Turkey
Other names	Serap Özçelik Arapoğlu
Residence	Istanbul, Turkey
Nationality	Turkish
Division	50 kg
Style	Karate, kumite
Team	EGO SK
Medal record Women's karate Representing  Turkey World Games 2013 Cali Kumite 50 kg 2017 Wrocław Kumite 50 kg World Championships 2014 Bremen Kumite 50 kg 2018 Madrid Kumite 50 kg 2012 Paris Kumite 50 kg 2012 Paris Team kumite 2014 Bremen Team kumite European Championships 2011 Zürich Kumite 50 kg 2012 Adeje Kumite 50 kg 2012 Adeje Team kumite 2014 Tampere Kumite 50 kg 2014 Tampere Team kumite 2018 Novi Sad Kumite 50 kg 2021 Poreč Kumite 50 kg 2022 Gaziantep Kumite 50 kg 2013 Budapest Kumite 50 kg 2016 Montpellier Kumite 50 kg 2017 İzmit Team kumite 2023 Guadalajara Kumite 50 kg 2008 Tallinn Kumite 53 kg 2010 Athens Kumite 55 kg 2015 Istanbul Kumite 50 kg 2015 Istanbul Team kumite 2016 Montpellier Team kumite 2017 İzmit Kumite 50 kg 2019 Guadalajara Kumite 50 kg European Games 2015 Baku Kumite 50 kg 2019 Minsk Kumite 50 kg 2023 Kraków-Małopolska Kumite 50 kg Islamic Solidarity Games 2017 Baku Kumite 50 kg 2021 Konya Kumite 50 kg Mediterranean Games 2013 Mersin Kumite 50 kg 2018 Tarragona Kumite 50 kg World University Championships 2008 Wrocław Kumite 53 kg 2006 New York City Kumite 53 kg

Career

Özçelik won two bronze medals at the 2012 World Karate Championships in Paris, placing third in women’s kumite 50 kg and taking another bronze with Turkey in the team kumite event after progressing through the repechage bracket.^[4]

At the 2014 World Karate Championships in Bremen, Germany, she defeated Duygu Bugur 6–1 in the women’s kumite 50 kg final to win her first senior world title; Turkey also earned bronze in the women’s team kumite. ^[5]

She won the inaugural European Games gold in women’s kumite 50 kg at Baku 2015, beating Bettina Plank 1–0 in the final after topping Group A and advancing past Kateryna Kryva by judges’ decision in the semifinal; it was Turkey’s first gold medal of the Games. ^[6][7]

At the 2017 European Karate Championships in İzmit, she earned bronze in kumite 50 kg, defeating Sara Radichevska 6–0 in the medal bout after a quarterfinal loss to Kateryna Kryva. ^[8]

She added a European title at Novi Sad 2018, defeating Bettina Plank by judges’ decision after a 1–1 final, and later that year took silver at the 2018 World Karate Championships in Madrid after a 3–1 loss to Miho Miyahara in the world final. ^[9][10]

In 2019, she won European bronze in Guadalajara by beating Shara Hubrich 5–0 in the third-place bout. ^[11]

She represented Turkey at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in women’s kumite 55 kg, where she was eliminated in the group stage. ^[12]

At Poreč 2021, she reclaimed the European title in women’s 50 kg, defeating Shara Hubrich in the final. ^[13]

In 2022, she won the European title again in Gaziantep, beating Erminia Perfetto 9–5 after earlier victories over Lejla Ahmetović (3–0), Inji Azizova (10–2) and Jelena Pehar (5–1). ^[14] Later that summer she earned bronze at the Konya 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games by defeating Shahmalarani Chandran in the third-place match. ^[15]