Yeliz Özel

{{Infobox handball biography

| name = Yeliz Özel

| image = 20141206 1821 TURAUT 6599.jpg

| fullname =

| nationality =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|03|06|df=y}}

| birth_place = Ankara, Turkey

| height = {{height|m=1.77|precision=0}}

| weight =

| position = Centre Back

| currentclub =

| clubnumber = 7

| years1 = 1998–1999

| clubs1 = PTT Türk Telekom SK

| years2 = 1999–2000

| clubs2 = Byåsen HE

| years3 = 2000–2001

| clubs3 = PTT Türk Telekom

| years4 = 2001–2002

| clubs4 = Anadolu Üniversitesi GSK

| years5 = 2002–2004

| clubs5 = Üsküdar Bld. SK

| years6 = 2004–2007

| clubs6 = Kometal Skopje

| years7 = 2007–2010

| clubs7 = Maliye Milli Piyango SK

| years8 = 2010–2012

| clubs8 = CS Oltchim

| years9 = 2012–2013

| clubs9 = Üsküdar Bld. SK

| years10 = 2013–2017

| clubs10 = Yenimahalle Bld. SK

| years11 = 2017–2019

| clubs11 = Muratpaşa

| years12 = 2019–2020

| clubs12 = Kastamonu

| nationalyears1 = 1995–2022

| nationalteam1 = Turkey

| nationalcaps1 =

| nationalgoals1 =

| ntupdate = 7 February 2023

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|{{flag|Turkey}} }}

|clubs13=Yalikavaksports Club|years13=2020–2021|clubs14=İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyesi GSK|years14=2021–

}}

Yeliz Özel (born 6 March 1980, in Ankara) is a Turkish retired handballer, who last played for İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyesi GSK and the Turkish national team. She is widely considered the best handball player ever from Turkey.

Club career

She started her career in Ankara team PTT, played the first European Cup level matches the same year. With outstanding skills in game-reading, Yeliz was labelled as a 'prominent young talent' by several handball experts. She transferred to Norway League for Byåsen HE in Trondheim, played there one full season. Then she came back to Turkey to play in Eskisehir Anadolu Üniversitesi GSK and Üsküdar Bld. SK.

In 2004, Yeliz went to Skopje to playing for Kometal Gjorče Petrov Skopje. After a brilliant stint there, she was one of the best players of EHF Champions League 2004–05 season. She scored 61 goals and made a huge contribution to promote her team final.

In June 2010, Yeliz Özel signed for Romania's top club CS Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea. She played two seasons in Romania before returning to her home country.

Özel returned home in June 2012 to rejoin her former team Üsküdar Bld. SK. After one season, she transferred to the Ankara-based team Yenimahalle Bld. SK.

International career

{{stack|File:20141206 1922 TURAUT 6853.jpg at the 2015 World Women's Handball Championship European qualification match. ]]}}

Özel was a member of the Turkey women's national handball team and served as their captain. She was part of the team that won the silver medal at the 2009 Mediterranean Games held in Pescara, Italy. In 2017, she won the silver medal with the national team at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku, Azerbaycan.

In April 2022, Yeliz Özel retired from the national team after 27 years.

Honours

;Turkish Women's Handball Super League

Winners (5): 2003–04, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2014–15
Runners-up (2): 2012–13, 2013–14

;Women's EHF Champions League

Runner-up (1): 2004–05

;Mediterranean Games

Runner-up (1): 2009

; Islamic Solidarity Games

: Silver medal (1): 2017

References

{{Reflist|30em|refs=

{{cite web |url=http://www.eurohandball.com/ec/cl/women/2011-12/player/507726/Yeliz+%26%23214%3bzel |title=Yeliz Özel |publisher=European Handball Federation }}

{{cite web |url=http://www.ehfcl.com/women/2004-05/scorers |title=EHF Women's Champions League 2004/05 – Top 50 scorers |publisher=European Handball Federation |access-date=12 June 2012 }}

{{cite news |url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/spor/amatorsporlar/15247860.asp |newspaper=Hürriyet |title=Yeliz'e Avrupa'dan özel ilgi |date=2010-07-07 |language=tr |access-date=2016-02-09 }}

{{cite news |url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/uskudar-belediyesinin-en-ozel-transferi-20669442 |newspaper=Hürriyet |title=Üsküdar Belediyesi'nin en özel transferi |date=2012-06-01 |language=tr |access-date=2016-02-09 }}

{{cite news |url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/yeliz-ozel-yenimahalle-belediyesinde-24421843 |newspaper=Hürriyet |title=Yeliz Özel, Yenimahalle Belediyesi'nde |date=2013-07-30 |language=tr |access-date=2016-02-09 }}

{{cite news |url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/hentbolda-gumus-kazandik-12006355 |newspaper=Hürriyet |title=Hentbolda gümüş kazandık |date=2009-07-05 |language=tr |access-date=2016-02-09 }}

{{cite news |url=http://www.rizeninsesi.net/2013/02/24/a-milli-takim-kaptani-yeliz-ozelden-rizeye-buyuk-ovgu/ |newspaper=Rizenin Sesi |title=A Milli Takım Kaptanı Yeliz Özel'den Rize'ye Büyük Övgü! |date=2013-02-24 |language=tr |access-date=2016-02-09 |archive-date=2016-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216183001/http://www.rizeninsesi.net/2013/02/24/a-milli-takim-kaptani-yeliz-ozelden-rizeye-buyuk-ovgu/ |url-status=dead }}

{{cite web |url=https://www.thf.org.tr/milli-haber/hentbol-tutkunu-iki-efsanenin-milli-formaya-vedasi/1064 |publisher=THF Türkiye Hentbol Federasyonu |title=Hentbol tutkunu iki efsanenin milli formaya vedası |date=29 April 2022 |language=tr |accessdate=7 June 2023 }}

{{cite news |url=https://spor.beyazgazete.com/haber/2017/4/22/milli-hentbolcular-istanbul-da-toplanacak-3840933.html |newspaper=Beyaz Gazete |title=Milli Hentbolcular İstanbul'da Toplanacak |date=22 April 2017 |language=tr |accessdate=10 June 2023 }}

{{cite news |url=https://www.trtspor.com.tr/haber/diger-sporlar/hentbol/hentbolda-2-gumus-madalya-138856.html |newspaper=TRT Spor |title=Hentbolda 2 gümüş madalya |date=14 May 2017 |language=tr |accessdate=10 June 2023 }}

}}