Mehmet Terzi is a former medal-winning long-distance runner from Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, who specialized in marathon

Marathon

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

. Since 2004, he serves as the president of the Turkish Athletic Federation

Turkish Athletic Federation

Turkish Athletic Federation is the governing body for athletics in Turkey....

 .

Terzi was born on May 5, 1955 at Kurtköy in Bilecik Province, mid-western Turkey. He competed in 1500m, 5000m, 10000m and cross-country

Cross country running

Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

 in various clubs in Eskişehir

Eskisehir

Eskişehir is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. According to the 2009 census, the population of the city is 631,905. The city is located on the banks of the Porsuk River, 792 m above sea level, where it overlooks the fertile Phrygian Valley. In the nearby...

, Mersin

Mersin

-Mersin today:Today, Mersin is a large city spreading out along the coast, with Turkey's second tallest skyscraper , huge hotels, an opera house, expensive real estate near the sea or up in the hills, and many other modern urban...

, Ankara

Ankara

Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....

, Bursa, Zonguldak

Zonguldak

Zonguldak is a city and the capital of Zonguldak Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. Its population, according to the 2009 census, was 108,792. It is an important port on the Black Sea because of the coal mining in Zonguldak Province...

 and Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

 after entering athletics in 1970 in Eskişehir.

Mehmet Terzi won the gold medal at the 1979 Mediterranean Games

1979 Mediterranean Games

The 8th edition of the Mediterranean Games was held in Split, Yugoslavia from 15 to 29 September 1979. Fourteen nations competed in 26 different sports.The games' mascot was the Mediterranean Monk Seal Adrijana.-Medal table:...

 in Split, Yugoslavia and 1983 Mediterranean Games

1983 Mediterranean Games

The 9th edition of the Mediterranean Games was held in Casablanca, Morocco from the 3rd to the 17th of September 1983. Sixteen nations competed in 20 different sporting events.- Medal table :- External link and reference :* -See also:**...

 in Casablanca, Marocco

Casablanca

Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...

 for marathon

Marathon

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

 and at the road running

Road running

Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...

  Istanbul, Turkey in 1985 and San Francisco, USA

San Francisco Marathon

The San Francisco Marathon is a series of USATF certified road running events held each July or August in San Francisco, California that include a full marathon, two half marathons, and a 5K. Except for in 1988, the marathon has been held annually since 1977. The current marathon course forms a...

 in 1987 after receiving the silver medal in 1978 Paris, France

Paris Marathon

The Paris International Marathon is an annual marathon which takes place from the Champs-Élysées heading towards the Place de la Concorde and continuing through the city to finish at Foch Avenue....

 and 1983 Frankfurt, Germany

Frankfurt Marathon

Frankfurt Marathon is an annual marathon held in Frankfurt, Germany in the month of October. The race, currently sponsored by BMW, is Germany's oldest city marathon.- List of winners :Key:- External links :***...

 marathons.

He competed for Turkey in marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Olympics, however without achieving a top rank.

In 2004, Mehmet Terzi was elected president of the Turkish Athletic Federation for a term of four years. He was re-elected for the same post for another four-years term in 2008.