After hosting a competitive Olympic season, Paris transitioned to become the center of the Paralympic Games. Approximately 4,400 athletes from a record 168 delegations showcased their skills in 549 events across 22 sports, held from August 28th to September 8th.
Although Türkiye had a humbling Olympic experience in Paris 2024, the Turkish Paralympic Team kept up with the rhythm of the tournament and brought home many poignant moments and triumphs by winning 28 medals in total, 6 gold, 10 silver and 12 bronze. The overall rankings demonstrated that Türkiye placed 23.
At the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games, Türkiye participated with 94 athletes across 15 sports: Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Blind Football, Fencing, Goalball, Judo, Paratriathlon, Powerlifting, Rowing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo and Tennis.
First exciting news for Türkiye came from the national Taekwondo athlete Ali Can Özcan. He earned a silver medal in men’s 58 kg and was later followed by Meryem Betül Çavdar with a bronze medal in women’s 52 kg. The ensuing day, the Taekwondo team unlocked more medals in the history of Turkish Paralympics. Mahmut Bozteke won gold in men’s 63 kg by defeating his Mongolian opponent. Two more silver medals were claimed within the same day by Gamze Gürdal in women’s 57 kg and Fatih Çelik in men’s 70 kg.
Another unforgettable golden victory was achieved by Öznur Cüre Girdi in women’s individual compound bow in Archery. She also broke the World and Paralympic record with 704 points. Afterwards, national para archers Merve Nur Eroğlu and Sadık Savaş competed against the Italian team in the mixed team recurve final. Their tough match resulted in a silver medal.
Turkish para athlete Serkan Yıldırım initially secured a third gold medal for Türkiye in the men's T12 100-meter race. However, his victory was overshadowed by a subsequent disqualification, which also led to his exclusion from the 400-meter race. The reason for this stems from an earlier decision this year when the World Para Athletics Federation placed Yıldırım's classification "under review." Despite this, a German court ruling allowed Yıldırım to compete at Paris 2024, according to a statement released by the Turkish National Paralympic Committee (TMPK).
After Yıldırım competed in the race and secured first place, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) appealed the classification issue to a higher court. The IPC raised concerns that Yıldırım did not meet the eligibility criteria for visual impairments, leading to a legal review. Although the Turkish National Paralympic Committee (TMPK) had initially won the case, the higher court ultimately ruled that Yıldırım was "not eligible," resulting in the revocation of his gold medal. In the statement, TMPK further remarked its support to Yıldırım in the legal battle he has been fighting since June. “We will stand by Serkan Yıldırım to ensure that triumphs earned on the track are not lost in court. We are exercising our legal rights to reclaim the 100-meter medal and will pursue justice for our athlete to the fullest extent,” they stated.
Despite losing a gold medal to legal controversy, the athletics team remained firm and continued to represent their country with pride. Muhammet Khalvandi guaranteed a silver in men’s javelin throw F57. Meanwhile, 19-year-old national athlete Aysel Önder made history in the qualifying round by breaking the 55.05-second world record with a time of 54.96 seconds. She went on to secure a silver medal in the women's 400-meter T20 race. Additionally, Fatma Damla Altın was among 15 athletes, including fellow Turkish competitors Reyhan Taşdelen and Esra Bayrak, who participated in the women's long jump T20 final at Stade de France. Altın delivered the best performance of her career, earning the bronze medal with a 5.73-meter jump.
While one of our gold medals was rescinded, the Turkish Goalball Team rewarded Türkiye’s Paralympic journey with yet another gold. They defeated the Israeli team with a score 8-3 in the final match. This became their third consecutive gold medal in the history of the Paralympics, as they also were ranked first previously in 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Games.
The stimulating accomplishments at every step of the Games have highlighted Türkiye at the Paralympics. For instance, Turkish swimmer Umut Ünlü set a milestone in Türkiye’s Paralympic history by securing two gold medals within two days, making him the first Turkish athlete to win two golds in the same Paralympic event. He surpassed his opponents in the men’s 50-meter S3 freestyle and 200-meter S3 freestyle finals. He did not only succeed in earning Türkiye’s first-ever Olympic and Paralympic gold on the international stage but he also marked history in Turkish swimming.
Ünlü was born with underdeveloped limbs and fused vocal cords. After going through a dark period in his life, he began swimming in 2020 and reached an advanced level quickly. His inspirational success has not only made him a national hero but also a symbol of dedication for the future generations. At the swimming competition held at Paris La Defense Arena, the 20-year-old Sevilay Öztürk also brought home a bronze medal with a time of 43.70 seconds in the women’s 50-meter butterfly S5 final.
The nation’s last gold medal came from İbrahim Bölükbaşı in Judo. The national athlete defeated his Georgian opponent, the reigning European champion and silver medalist from Tokyo 2020. Competing at the Champ-de-Mars Arena, Türkiye also secured three more bronze medals in Judo. Turkish para judo athlete Ecem Taşın Çavdar won her bronze medal match in the women’s J1 48 kg by defeating her Greek competitor. Her success was followed by Cahide Eke, who secured bronze in the women’s J2 48 kg category with an ippon victory over her German opponent. Additionally, Nazan Akın Güneş claimed third place in the women’s +70 kg J1 category, defeating her Uzbek opponent 10-0 at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
In Powerlifting, Abdullah Kayapınar gained silver medal for Türkiye in men’s 49 kg. He lifted 172, 176 and 180 kg respectively, but failed to 184. Kayapınar was close to both securing a significant first place and breaking the world record, which is 183.5 kg held by Le van Cong of Vietnam. The gold medal went to his Jordanian rival who lifted 181 kg.
Additionally, Besra Duman secured a silver medal in the women’s 55 kg powerlifting event. She successfully lifted 113 kg in her first attempt but was unable to complete lifts of 118 kg and 122 kg in the finals. After earning bronze at Tokyo 2020, Duman improved her performance with a silver at Paris 2024. In the women’s 45 kg category, Nazmiye Muratlı took third place, adding a bronze to her previous gold medal achievements. Additionally, Sibel Çam contributed to Türkiye’s success by claiming a bronze in the women’s 73 kg powerlifting event.
More medals were provided by the Turkish Table Tennis team. Abdullah Öztürk and Nesim Turan came in third place after losing to German players 2-3 in the semifinals. They obtained a bronze medal in men’s doubles MD8. Further bronze medalist achievements came from Ali Öztürk in men’s Singles class 5, and Ebru Acer in women’s singles WS11. Kübra Korkut elevated her teammates' attainments to a higher level. She acquired a silver medal in women’s singles WS7 in the gold medal match.
Aysel Özgan earned a silver medal for Türkiye in the women’s 10-meter air pistol event in Shooting. Meanwhile, at the Grand Palais, where the fencing competitions took place, national fencer Hakan Akkaya competed in a closely contested bronze medal match in the men’s épée A category against his Italian opponent. Akkaya emerged victorious with a score of 15-13, securing both the bronze medal and a historic achievement for Türkiye in fencing.
The 17th Summer Paralympic Games concluded on Sunday, September 8th, with a closing ceremony held in Stade de France, Saint-Denis. In its 8th time at the Summer Paralympics, Turkish athletes not only achieved firsts for Türkiye in their own categories but also broke the country’s record for the number of medals won in its Paralympic history. Before Paris 2024, Türkiye had in total 38 medals, which now has risen to 66.
Minister of Youth and Sports, Osman Aşkın Bak, celebrated the achievements of the Turkish athletes on social media, stating that, “This pride is yours, Türkiye! The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games have gone down in history as the games where we achieved record success! Come on Türkiye, it is time to applaud our athletes who made this pride possible!”
Türkiye’s national Paralympic athletes set the bar high for the next Games with their outstanding time in Paris.
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