He's been in the changing room with the lord of the ring, Muhammad Ali, priming for one of his famous bouts.
He's rubbed shoulders with the redoubtable Pele, commentating on and chronicling a footballing career gilded with goals
He's tracked Kenyan legend Kipchoge Keino's trailblazing career from when he was a budding athlete to his transformation as a world-beater.
Along the way, 60 years since the saga started, 85-year-old Turkish Orhan Ayhan stands on the cusp of a record that will be all his own — a Guinness recognition as the world's longest-serving sports reporter and commentator.
Orhan's journey is no less fascinating and inspiring than the sporting greats whose names and memories gently roll off his tongue.
He vividly recalls how the transition from reporting to commentating on sports happened when he least expected it.
"It was so cold that day, I remember," Orhan recounts to TRT Afrika, turning the clock back by three decades. "Flights had to be cancelled, and there was snow everywhere."
In the distance, the loud chants of thousands of football fans reverberated through Istanbul's erstwhile Dolmabahçe Stadium, now known as Besiktas or the Vodafone Arena.
The venue was hosting the quarterfinal of the UEFA Champions League. Orhan, a sports reporter for almost 30 years by then, had no idea that his life would change forever.
"I was already known as a sports reporter, working with a local publication called Tercuman Gazette," he recalls. "They listed me among four other commentators, all of whom were big names back then. I was nervous."
Orhan didn’t let the nerves break him, looking at the opportunity instead as one that could lead him to bigger things.
"We were each supposed to take turns commentating on the game for 15 minutes each. I was the second one to go, and once I got started, even the bosses didn't want me to stop. I know much about football, you see – that's how I outshone the others!" he says.
Humble beginnings
Orhan's face lights up when he recalls how far he has travelled. Born in January 1938 as the eldest of three siblings, Orhan's early life was hard as his father – a sports trainer in a local club – struggled to make ends meet.
"I was determined to help my family, and sport was my medium. I loved anything to do with sports, including football, which I played with the neighbourhood teams. I also played basketball and boxing, which I loved," he says. "Somehow, I knew sport would help me get a better life."
Cut to six decades later, Orhan has a scrapbook of memories spanning a career as a pundit with over 15,000 commentary stints in football and boxing, among other achievements.
His job has taken him across five continents to cover some of the greatest moments in sport.
"As a boxing fan, how can you not remember October 30, 1974?" he says, his face mirroring the excitement of talking about the famous "Rumble in the Jungle".
"Two legendary heavyweight champions in the ring together. There was no way I could have missed that," he says of the Muhammad Ali-George Foreman bout. "I was starstruck."
Orhan flew to Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, to witness what went down in history as the biggest boxing event ever.
This wasn't his only famous affair with Africa. "I have also had the opportunity to report on Kipchoge Keino, the greatest athlete. I have seen his career from when he was a young man to the mountain of records he broke," he recalls.
Orhan went on to cover six Olympics. His famous voice also graced the commentary box at several football World Cups. He has worked for almost every media and publication house in Türkiye, reporting, editing, writing columns, and commentating over the years.
Bitter-sweet moment
June 3, 2016, is etched in Orhan's memory as a sad day for sport and personally. That was the day Muhammad Ali died.
"I followed this man throughout his career, building mine along the way. You form some sort of a relationship. You almost feel like you are friends," he says.
As the 74-year-old boxing legend was pronounced dead at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, something unexpected happened in Orhan's life.
‘"I received a phone call. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heard the news of Ali's death in his car. He was a fan. And he knew I was a big fan. He asked his people to call me and arrange my travel to America to attend the funeral."
Orhan counts this as one of those bitter-sweet moments in his life. While he was happy that President Erdogan had recognised his work over the years, the culmination of his journey covering Muhammad Ali's career almost signalled the end of an epoch.
A few days later, Orhan drove to the funeral with President Erdogan's entourage. "Heads of state, celebrities, civil rights leaders, movie actors…there were so many big people there," he says of the gathering at the funeral.
Breaking records
Throughout his career, Orhan has witnessed records being broken. He has seen the firsts, the fastest, and the greatest. He has seen stories of triumph, trophies and titles unravelling through the trials and tribulations that are a part of sport.
Now, it's time to celebrate his legacy as 60 years of commentating and reporting place him on a par with the current Guinness world record holder for the longest-serving career as a sports reporter, the late György Szepesi of Hungary, who earned the title in 2006.
Orhan will take over in a few months as he completes 61 years in his career. "I am not focusing so much on that right now," he tells TRT Afrika. "At my age, everything is a blessing. I thank God every day when I wake up with good health and keep doing what I love. If it means I break a record, I will be grateful. Let's see what happens."
Orhan's son, Korhan Ayhan, is praying and keeping count of the four months that remain to what will be a landmark like no other. The countdown to 61 has begun.
