Turkish Cypriot high jumper Buse Savaskan qualified for the Olympic final by finishing in joint fourth place in her heat at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
Savaskan, who competes under the Turkish flag, equalled her personal best with a highest jump of 1.92 metres to ensure her safe route to Sunday’s final. Her best was three centimetres short of the highest jump of the day of 1.95m, which was set by three athletes in her heat.
She is 25 years old and is a native of Morphou, where she grew up. She has cleared 1.92m on one previous occasion – when she won the gold medal at the Balkan championships in May.
She made history simply by stepping onto the track at the Stade de France on Friday, becoming the first Turkish Cypriot to compete individually in the history of the Olympic Games.
In qualifying for the final, she became only the second woman under the Turkish flag to reach an Olympic high jump final, following in the footsteps of Burcu Ayhan, who finished in 11th place at the 2012 games in London.
A large delegation of Cypriots turned out in Paris to watch Savaskan compete, including her mother Faika Savaskan, who broke down in tears after qualification was confirmed.
Speaking after the event, Savaskan said she was “very happy”.
“My goal was to make it to the final, but I had an injury, and I was wondering whether I would make it to the final or not. When I stepped onto the track, I showed who Buse Savaskan is. So, everyone should continue to watch me in the final,” she said.
The final will take place on Sunday at 8.55pm, and those wishing to watch in central Nicosia will be able to do so outside, with the Nicosia Turkish Municipality announcing on Friday evening that the women’s Olympic high jump final will be shown on a big screen on Zahra Street in the capital’s old town.
