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ULM's Unlu Sky High After Winning Gold in U23 European Athletics Championships

ULM's Unlu Sky High After Winning Gold in U23 European Athletics Championships

Track & Field Jul 28
By ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist Paul Letlow
 
MONROE, La. – ULM track and field star Ali Eren Unlu is soaring to new heights this summer on the international scene.

The sophomore from Istanbul, Turkey, recently became the European Champion in the high jump at the U23 European Athletics Championships on July 15 in Espoo, Finland. Unlu outlasted his Ukrainian rivals and won the gold medal with a jump of 7-3 1/2 (2.22 meters).
 
"We really worked hard for that," Unlu told ULMWarhawks.com in an interview from his home in Turkey. "It was also a great experience to be there with my coach in another country where we've never been. It was a great result as well so we are very happy."

Said ULM assistant track and field coach Brody Honeycutt: "I think since Bob Groseclose was the coach here with the success he had, I think this is the most successful thing that our track program has had since the 1980s."

Unlu added, "I'm so happy and kind of in shock with what happened. But I'm also more excited for the future. This should be the beginning of what's coming for me."
 
His sixth-place finish in the high jump (7-2 1/2; 2.20 meters) at the 2023 European Athletics Team Championships in Chorzow, Poland, on June 25 served as a springboard to his gold-medal performance.  

The victory was redemption for the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Champion (indoor and outdoor), who had a disappointing showing in the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

"He was definitely coming back to be favored as an All-American again at the outdoor championships," Honeycutt said. "We just did that indoors and he's been pretty consistent at what he's been jumping all year. But we got to that big meet and no heighted. Obviously, the NCAA season was a letdown. We expected more showing up to that outdoor championship."

"It was definitely not what we expected before going there," Unlu said of his NCAA performance. "I had a really great outdoor season and indoor as well. I was chasing a top three (finish) but no height was definitely a surprise. But you know, every result whether it's good or bad, you still learn something. That's all that matters. At the end of the day, if you learn what you need to and if you don't repeat those mistakes and jump at the big meets like the European Championships, it's all worth it."

Unlu's international success was just the latest in what has been a breakout year for him overall. He had the top men's high jump mark in Louisiana with a personal-best clearance of 7-3 3/4 (2.23 meters) at the SBC Outdoor Championships, where he earned SBC Men's Field Athlete of the Year and First-Team All-SBC recognition to go with his conference championship. He was an Honorable Mention All-American after qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships for the first time in his career after finishing 10th at 6-10 1/4 (2.09 meters) at the NCAA East Regional Preliminaries. He was a First-Team All-American, SBC Field Performer of the Year and First-Team All-SBC in indoor track. He tied for seventh at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships by clearing 7-1 3/4 (2.18 meters) and won the SBC Championship by clearing 7-3 (2.21 meters).

"My practice program changed when I got to ULM," Unlu said. "It was a really great program. My Coach Brody Honeycutt did a really great job developing my entire body. The most important part was the mindset because he put me in that mentality to work hard and accomplish something good. He played the main role in that. ULM had a big effect on my success as well."

"Him failing at that NCAA Championship meet was a great lesson for him," Honeycutt said. "Yeah, he's good, but he's still got to work for it. It's not something that's always going to come easy."

Unlu credits his ULM experience and coaching for helping him mature and perform at such a high level.

"A lot of things are ULM and a small part is me," he said. "When I first arrived at ULM, I was a really small kid who wanted to enjoy college life and didn't know what his priorities were. Going out, not practicing well, not focusing on classes. I was playing video games and going out with friends, and not doing what I was supposed to do. Maybe every college athlete experiences this at one point. But my coach and my team, they helped me realize what I was supposed to do. They put me in the right mindset."

The European win gives Unlu additional confidence going forward as he prepares to compete for ULM and beyond in the future.

"I was definitely chasing a medal in that competition," he said. "It's an under 23-age group, so I will have one more year at the same competition. I will compete to defend the title. It's really exciting and shows that I'm a fighter. I can jump when I need to. I think it's a great experience for the future as well. Next year, we have the Olympics, and I want to make it to the Olympics. I'll be 21 by that time. To make it to the Olympics at 21 would be an amazing thing. Performing at this high level at these types of competitions and winning the gold there prepares me well for what is coming for me."

Winning the gold gained Unlu some newfound attention back home in Turkey too.

"After it happened, I couldn't even look at my phone," Unlu said. "Everybody from Turkey was sharing and they put me on local television. I made the newspaper and I was like, 'What is going on? I never get this much attention on me.' It's good being in the spotlight, but whenever you are down, you only have a few people around you. You realize who loves and supports you."

The international student-athlete said he's enjoyed his experiences attending college in Louisiana.

"The first thing I love about Monroe is the people," he said. "They accept me like I'm from there already. It was difficult to get used to there at first. Southern people have an interesting accent compared to other English speakers, I guess. It was hard to communicate in my first year and my English wasn't as good as now. Most of my friends are from Texas and Louisiana and they've helped me a lot.

"It's a small town and I can just focus on my sport and my classes. It's a great place to be."
 
Ali Eren Unlu 2023 U23 European high jump gold medalist_awards ceremony

 
2023 U23 European gold medalist Ali Eren Unlu with Coach Brody Honeycutt

 
 
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