Sureyya Ayhan’s biography

Sureyya Ayhan is a former Turkish middle distance track runner who specialised in the 1500 metres.

Born in Korgun, Çankırı, Sureyya Ayhan established herself as Turkey’s top 1.500 m runner with a win at the 1999 national championships, setting a Turkish record.

The following year Sureyya Ayhan became the country’s first female semifinalist at the Summer Olympic Games. Ayhan reached the final of the 2001 World Championships in Athletics, became the Universiade 1500 m champion and won a silver at the 2001 Mediterranean Games.

In 2002 season Sureyya Ayhan became the European Champion, beating Olympic champion Gabriela Szabo in a Championships record time. This was the fastest time that year and earned her the 2002 European Female Athlete of the Year Award.

Sureyya Ayhan improved further in 2003, taking two seconds off her personal best to again feature as the year’s fastest woman and winning a silver medal in the 1500 m final of the 2003 World Championships.

In November 2009, Sureyya Ayhan was banned for lifetime by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) due to failing a doping test.