Quick Facts
Biography
Cenk İldem (pronounced [ˈdʒeɲc ˈiːldem]; born January 5, 1986 in Şişli, Istanbul) is a male wrestler from Turkey competing in the 96 kg division of Greco-Roman style. He is a member of the İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi S.K., where he is coached by his father Hüseyin İldem.
Personal life
His father Hüseyin İldem was a wrestler of Greco-Romen style competing in the 74 kg division for the national team in the years 1980–90. Cenk İldem began with wrestling at the age of ten, with his father's encouragement. Hüseyin İldem coaches his son since then. Cenk's younger brother Kansu also competes in wrestling.
Cenk İldem studied physical education and sports at Niğde University. Since 2007, he serves as a teacher at Şişli Industrial Vocational High School in Istanbul.
He married in 2011.
Achievements
Cenk İldem is winner of several medals in junior and senior class at European as well as world level. He won the gold medal at the World Junior Wrestling Championships in 2006 held in Guatemala City, Guatemala. He became gold medalist at the 2005 European Junior Wrestling Championships held in Hungary and again in 2006 in Poland.
He won the bronze medal at the 2010 European Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan and repeated his success in bronze at the 2013 European Wrestling Championships held in Tbilisi, Georgia.
He became bronze medalist at the 2011 World Wrestling Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.
Cenk İldem represented his country at the 2012 Summer Olympics without advancing to the finals.
At 2016 European Wrestling Championships he won bronze medal.