Completed Event: Men's Gymnastics versus Nebraska on April 18, 2025 , Loss , 323.460, to, 324.694
Final
Men's Gymnastics
323.460
vs Nebraska
324.694
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Photo by: Amy Sanderson RW Studios
Dodanli Reflects on World Championships
October 27, 2023 | Men's Gymnastics
Oklahoma junior Emre Dodanli competed at the FIG World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, earlier this month. Dodanli, a product of Turkey by way of Milton, Ontario, earned a place on Turkey's national team with his performance at the Turkish national championships in August. He won the floor exercise, parallel bars and high bar titles and place second in the all-around. His performance at the World Championships helped Turkey qualify for Paris 2024, the very first time a Turkish men's gymnastics team has qualified for an Olympic Games.
Q: How cool was it to qualify for Worlds?
Emre: Being able to qualify for worlds, honestly, I never thought I would be able to do it. I worked really hard in the summer. My coaches and all my teammates supported me, and they always told me to keep pursuing it. I trusted the plan, it happened and I'm thankful that it happened. Being able to say, 'You made the world team' and going through that process, training again and working for better and more consistent routines was really exciting.
Q: What about trials in Turkey? What was your experience there? Were you invited by your Turkish national organization?
Emre: I've been in contact with Turkey since I was 12. I did compete for them when I was a junior, so from like age 14 to like 17. Because of COVID, I stopped, but the coaches always told me that whenever I felt like I was back into the groove of things that I should keep them updated. I kept updating them with my skills and routines and I thought I had a chance of making the team, so I told one of my coaches over there that I wanted to pursue it and he gave me full support. He started talking to the higher-ups for the national team and that's how it worked from there.
Q: So what was your experience at national championships and team trials? What was your experience there being able to go back and compete with them at the national championships?
Emre: It was high stakes, and it was a little different because I started to compete as an individual. It was very different compared to the way we compete here. Every routine counts here and if one guy messes up, you have to pick it up. Competing as an individual was a little less stressful because I didn't have the weight behind the whole team, like 20 guys who I need to do this routine for. It was a lot less stressful, so it was easier for me to gauge what I was doing. It was more experimenting and trying everything.
Q: You won floor, high bar and parallel bars, and finished second in the all-around. What did it mean for you to earn those placements in the competition?
Emre: Those placements showed which events were my strengths for the team. They gauged the scores and the consistency from day one and day two to see if I was trustworthy enough to be on the team and help the team prosper for the goals that they wanted to aim for. Being able to hit six for six both days was crucial, and it showed them that I had that consistency and brought what I had to the table.
Q: You went to worlds and competed with the team again, as part of a team. What was that experience?
Emre: It was nice. It felt like a family. I was bonding with all of them. I looked up to all of them when I was younger, and seeing how they train and compete side by side was inspirational. It put me back and out of my body and looking back like 'Wow, I'm here with all these guys I've been looking up to.' I don't know, what's the word?' A proud moment I would say. I was a lot happier and less stressed that I was able to go side by side with my teammates and they were teaching me their ways.
Q: You said you looked up to those guys, had you known them before, competing with them?
Emre: I've watched them since I was 10. They just kept getting better and better, it's just been an honor to compete with all of them.
Q: Did you have to increase your intensity and training and performance, or did you feel prepared when you got there?
Emre: I felt pretty prepared. The coaches there wanted consistent routines, so I trained accordingly. From now on, I'm trying to build difficulty, not only for Turkey, but for OU, so we can get bigger scores and I can help the team.
Q: You were a pretty important part of the team qualifying for Paris, correct?
Emre: Every single guy that competed played a role and had their key factor that made us qualify for worlds. Being able to hit consistent routines and not falling really helped. Some of the scores that were expected from the guys unfortunately didn't play out as we wanted, so the backup scores we had from my sets helped.
Q: Safe to say, you were proud of your performance at Worlds?
Emre: Yeah, I was really proud. I wanted to enjoy every bit of it. There were a lot of stakes behind the competition, but it was my first world championships and I wanted to soak everything in. It's an honor to be there. You don't really get that many experiences as an athlete to be at that world class level. I wanted to be there and look at everything and soak it all up.
Q: When you walked into the arena, were you wide-eyed or did it just feel like a regular competition to you?
Emre: When I first stepped into the arena when we were about to compete, it was all pitch black and then all the lights turned on, and the sounds and the fire just got my heart racing. I was like 'Oh crap, it's starting!' All that nervousness and excitement faded away once I raised my hand for the routine. Looking at that floor, it was just like all the hundred thousand routines that I've been doing in training. Once I raise my hand, I'm in the zone, just doing my job.
Q: What did it mean to be a part of the team that qualified to Turkey for the very first time?
Emre: It's super inspirational. I always wanted us to go as a team and now it finally happened. All the coaches, all the athletes, they've worked so hard to have that happen and being a part of that is phenomenal. I'm thankful for everyone, all my teammates and my coaches. If they did not help me, I wouldn't be in the position I am today so I'm just thankful for everybody.
Q: Had you ever been to Belgium? What did you think?
Emre: No, it was amazing! I really like that place. I'd like to live there if I had the chance. It was super calm, and everyone was so nice. The scenery was beautiful.
Q: Did you do some sightseeing? What was your favorite thing?
Emre: My favorite was the city hall in Antwerp. There was a huge church and an old building from the 1860s. It was a governmental building with multiple flags around the whole city center. They had really good treats and waffles.
Q: Did you get a Belgian waffle?
Emre: Yeah, it was really good.
Q: Anything else you want people to know about your experience?
Emre: I would say to trust the process. Whenever you feel like you're doubting things, step back and be proud of everything you've done. It's hard to look at all the achievements that you've had and all the hard work you've put in when you're progressing, but if you look at it in a third person view, you can see a huge improvement, so don't be as hard on yourself.
Q: How cool was it to qualify for Worlds?
Emre: Being able to qualify for worlds, honestly, I never thought I would be able to do it. I worked really hard in the summer. My coaches and all my teammates supported me, and they always told me to keep pursuing it. I trusted the plan, it happened and I'm thankful that it happened. Being able to say, 'You made the world team' and going through that process, training again and working for better and more consistent routines was really exciting.
Q: What about trials in Turkey? What was your experience there? Were you invited by your Turkish national organization?
Emre: I've been in contact with Turkey since I was 12. I did compete for them when I was a junior, so from like age 14 to like 17. Because of COVID, I stopped, but the coaches always told me that whenever I felt like I was back into the groove of things that I should keep them updated. I kept updating them with my skills and routines and I thought I had a chance of making the team, so I told one of my coaches over there that I wanted to pursue it and he gave me full support. He started talking to the higher-ups for the national team and that's how it worked from there.
Q: So what was your experience at national championships and team trials? What was your experience there being able to go back and compete with them at the national championships?
Emre: It was high stakes, and it was a little different because I started to compete as an individual. It was very different compared to the way we compete here. Every routine counts here and if one guy messes up, you have to pick it up. Competing as an individual was a little less stressful because I didn't have the weight behind the whole team, like 20 guys who I need to do this routine for. It was a lot less stressful, so it was easier for me to gauge what I was doing. It was more experimenting and trying everything.
Q: You won floor, high bar and parallel bars, and finished second in the all-around. What did it mean for you to earn those placements in the competition?
Emre: Those placements showed which events were my strengths for the team. They gauged the scores and the consistency from day one and day two to see if I was trustworthy enough to be on the team and help the team prosper for the goals that they wanted to aim for. Being able to hit six for six both days was crucial, and it showed them that I had that consistency and brought what I had to the table.
Q: You went to worlds and competed with the team again, as part of a team. What was that experience?
Emre: It was nice. It felt like a family. I was bonding with all of them. I looked up to all of them when I was younger, and seeing how they train and compete side by side was inspirational. It put me back and out of my body and looking back like 'Wow, I'm here with all these guys I've been looking up to.' I don't know, what's the word?' A proud moment I would say. I was a lot happier and less stressed that I was able to go side by side with my teammates and they were teaching me their ways.
Q: You said you looked up to those guys, had you known them before, competing with them?
Emre: I've watched them since I was 10. They just kept getting better and better, it's just been an honor to compete with all of them.
Q: Did you have to increase your intensity and training and performance, or did you feel prepared when you got there?
Emre: I felt pretty prepared. The coaches there wanted consistent routines, so I trained accordingly. From now on, I'm trying to build difficulty, not only for Turkey, but for OU, so we can get bigger scores and I can help the team.
Q: You were a pretty important part of the team qualifying for Paris, correct?
Emre: Every single guy that competed played a role and had their key factor that made us qualify for worlds. Being able to hit consistent routines and not falling really helped. Some of the scores that were expected from the guys unfortunately didn't play out as we wanted, so the backup scores we had from my sets helped.
Q: Safe to say, you were proud of your performance at Worlds?
Emre: Yeah, I was really proud. I wanted to enjoy every bit of it. There were a lot of stakes behind the competition, but it was my first world championships and I wanted to soak everything in. It's an honor to be there. You don't really get that many experiences as an athlete to be at that world class level. I wanted to be there and look at everything and soak it all up.
Q: When you walked into the arena, were you wide-eyed or did it just feel like a regular competition to you?
Emre: When I first stepped into the arena when we were about to compete, it was all pitch black and then all the lights turned on, and the sounds and the fire just got my heart racing. I was like 'Oh crap, it's starting!' All that nervousness and excitement faded away once I raised my hand for the routine. Looking at that floor, it was just like all the hundred thousand routines that I've been doing in training. Once I raise my hand, I'm in the zone, just doing my job.
Q: What did it mean to be a part of the team that qualified to Turkey for the very first time?
Emre: It's super inspirational. I always wanted us to go as a team and now it finally happened. All the coaches, all the athletes, they've worked so hard to have that happen and being a part of that is phenomenal. I'm thankful for everyone, all my teammates and my coaches. If they did not help me, I wouldn't be in the position I am today so I'm just thankful for everybody.
Q: Had you ever been to Belgium? What did you think?
Emre: No, it was amazing! I really like that place. I'd like to live there if I had the chance. It was super calm, and everyone was so nice. The scenery was beautiful.
Q: Did you do some sightseeing? What was your favorite thing?
Emre: My favorite was the city hall in Antwerp. There was a huge church and an old building from the 1860s. It was a governmental building with multiple flags around the whole city center. They had really good treats and waffles.
Q: Did you get a Belgian waffle?
Emre: Yeah, it was really good.
Q: Anything else you want people to know about your experience?
Emre: I would say to trust the process. Whenever you feel like you're doubting things, step back and be proud of everything you've done. It's hard to look at all the achievements that you've had and all the hard work you've put in when you're progressing, but if you look at it in a third person view, you can see a huge improvement, so don't be as hard on yourself.
Players Mentioned
AA
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