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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) An official says a 21-year-old Turkish taekwondo athlete has died after suffering a heart attack during a tournament in Luxor, Egypt.
Turkish Taekwondo Federation official Ramazan Ercin said Seyithan Akbalik collapsed while competing against a Slovenian athlete on Saturday.
Ercin said Akbalik was taken to the hospital where he died.
Akbalik was taking part in the men's 63-kilogram category at the Luxor Open, where Ercin said athletes hoped to earn points to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics. He was one of 13 Turkish athletes taking part.
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Ercin told Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency: ''Seyithan was a successful athlete who was a youth European champion. We are very saddened.''
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