In Memoriam | Gönül Sevinç Yildiran [Née Ercan] (1936-2026)

Farewell to the Elegant Star of Turkish Gymnastics We have learned with deep sorrow of the passing of our esteemed teacher, Gönül Ercan Yıldıran, a valuable figure in the Turkish gymnastics community, who will remain in our memories with her elegance, dedication, and contributions to the sport.

We had the honor of publishing an interview with her in our book, "Those Who Left Their Mark on Turkish Gymnastics." Her love for gymnastics, her discipline, and her memories, which she passed on to future generations, will always live on as a valuable legacy in the history of Turkish gymnastics.

We remember our esteemed teacher, who left a mark on our hearts with her kind personality, elegance, and dedication to our sport, with respect, gratitude, and prayers.

We offer our condolences and prayers for patience to her family and the entire gymnastics community.

May her soul rest in peace, and may she reside in paradise.

https://youtu.be/0xrLKwTYa0M?si=W4AtvKx8mb-cvB-O

Mavi Boncuk |

In her own words: 

I am Gönül Sevinç Yıldıran. I was born in Istanbul in 1936. I completed my primary education at Gazi Mustafa Kemal Paşa Primary School, and my secondary and high school education at Erenköy Girls' High School. Afterwards, I entered the Department of Pedagogy at Istanbul University's Faculty of Literature. After graduating, I worked in the university's nursery for seven years. Later, as my experience grew and I loved children very much, I decided to open my own kindergarten. In 1973, I opened my first private kindergarten, Gönül Abla, in Koşuyolu, then in Yoğurtçu Park, and later in Moda, and I ran it until 2000. In 2000, due to my advancing age, I closed the kindergarten.

In 1953, the Third World Congress of Physical Education Teachers' Associations was held, and gymnasts were selected from high schools. Three of us, including myself, were selected from Erenköy Girls' High School and performed in open-air theaters. We successfully completed both rhythmic gymnastics and apparatus gymnastics performances. In those years, there was only one apparatus available: a box. Our late teacher, Fahamet, my older sister, may God rest her soul, I remember her with respect... Thanks to her, both Istanbul gymnastics and we ourselves were quite successful. In 1955, we started performing for the first time as the Istanbul Girls' Rhythmic Gymnastics team. We performed in Istanbul, Edirne, and Zonguldak.

In 1955, 1956, and 1957, we consistently trained and performed in shows. After our teacher fell ill, our performances slowed down, so I went to the Kadıköy Public Education Center and started training alone. During my training at the Public Education Center, I saw the work of naval officers Yüksel Karabekir and Yiğit Güzen. They kindly took an interest in me. Later, they invited Aynur Savaşgören, and we continued our training as a pair. My older sister, Fahamet Humbaracı, who was a physical education teacher at Erenköy Girls' High School, requested talented athletes from the school, so we brought in Feriha Gelen, Müren İndere Engin, Gönül Songür, and Canan, and started training seriously as a group of five. That's how I started gymnastics.

It was 1964-1965. During TRT's black and white broadcasting era, we appeared on air for a rhythmic gymnastics performance. According to accounts, hundreds of people watched the TV broadcast from the shop windows in Şişhane.

Thanks to my sister Fahamet Humbaracı's membership in Gymnaestrada, we were the first team from Türkiye to participate in the Gymnaestrada held in Vienna in 1965. Gazi Eğitim from Ankara, and Reyhan, Müren, Aynur, and I from Istanbul were the first to participate. It was a wonderful event.

I'd also like to tell you a little about our trip... Since we had no budget, my brother-in-law, Alaaddin Güneş, the director of the Kadıköy Public Education Center, organized a tourist trip to Italy by bus with his teacher friends. Thanks to this, we were able to travel in the group, sitting in the back of the bus. Because we didn't have money for a hotel, everyone brought their own pillows, and we stocked up on enough canned food for a week. I'll never forget the performance costumes we had made by a tailor in Istanbul, inspired by the outfits of the Swedish gymnasts who came to Turkey for a show.

After 1965, our work continued at the Kadıköy Public Education Center. During this time, I participated in regional and national championships. I won various awards in these competitions.

In 1968, an accident forced me to give up active gymnastics, which I loved so much. I continued as a coach until 1973. In 1973, due to lack of time after opening a kindergarten, I had to give up gymnastics.

With love and respect,

From a Gymnastics magazine interview
January 2022/Issue 24