The love that began in the karate dojo found its medal after 34 years

Ali and Hayriye Tabak, a couple who met in a karate dojo in Osmaniye and later married, achieved success at the International Gemlik Karate Tournament held in Gemlik, Bursa.
Ali and Hayriye Tabak, residing in Osmaniye, won medals at the 5th International Gemlik Karate Tournament. The tournament, held in the Gemlik district of Bursa, saw participation from 16 countries, 26 cities, 122 clubs, and 1,650 athletes. Ali Tabak secured first place in the 55+ years Men’s Veterans Kata category, while his wife Hayriye Tabak won a bronze medal in the 45-54 years Women’s Veterans Kata category, making it to the podium.
The couple, who met in a karate dojo in Adana in 1990 and got married, has three daughters who also hold black belts. The family is dedicated to karate and works on techniques both in their karate courses and at home to achieve the best results in the sport they love.
Ali Tabak expressed their family’s commitment to karate, stating, “My introduction to karate was in 1976. I went to a dojo after seeing a small flyer and met my first instructor, Hüseyin Bahar. In 1985, I achieved the first level of black belt, Shodan. I participated in many Turkish championships, with varying degrees of success. I work together with my wife, who is also a karate practitioner, Hayri Hoca. This is how I met my wife: in 1990, some parents of my students came to see me. She started as my student, then became my secretary; we got engaged, and she took the surname Tabak. My wife always says, ‘He was my teacher, now he is my husband.’ The beautiful fruit of this marriage is our three daughters. Our eldest daughter, İrem Dürdane Tabak, is currently a national karate referee and coach; our middle daughter, Gizem Şerife Tabak, is also a karate practitioner with a black belt; our youngest daughter, Sinem Bilge Tabak, is in her final year of university and also a karate practitioner with a black belt. We are a family deeply involved in karate. My friends used to joke and call us the karate family. We continue to work with my students. Last week, we participated in the 5th International Gemlik Tournament held in Bursa. Together with my wife, Hayriye Hoca, we joined the Veterans Group. I became the kata champion among the men over 55. It truly moved me to stand on the podium again after many years.”

“He was my teacher, now he is my husband”
Hayriye Tabak stated that every white belt represents a seed, saying, “Since we are five sisters and one brother, and our brother is the youngest, when he said, ‘I can’t protect you, everyone should protect themselves,’ we started karate. Since 1990, I have various ranks, including championships and degrees obtained in team matches, especially in kata. I thank my husband, Ali Hoca, who raised me. He was my teacher, now he is my husband; we confirmed this at the last competition we participated in. At the 5th International Gemlik Tournament, my husband achieved the championship, and I took third place. We work on karate in a wonderful family environment with our daughters. I have students, and I am very happy and proud to raise them. Each white belt means a new seed, and we don’t know what will come out of those seeds.”