Turkish team shines with 28 medals at Paris 2024 Paralympics

Turkish Paralympic athletes won accolades after they bagged a record number of medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Türkiye won 28 medals: six gold, ten silver, and twelve bronze. The country had sent 94 athletes to the competition.

The achievement marks a remarkable leap from the three gold medals it won in Rio 2016.

Umut Unlu made history

National para swimmer Umut Unlu etched his name in Turkish sports history with gold letters at Paris 2024.

At just 23 years old, Umut won 2 gold medals in the 50m and 200m freestyle S3 categories, becoming the first Turkish athlete to win two gold medals in the same Paralympic Games.

The Women's Goalball National Team, on the other hand, retained its title at Paris 2024, winning gold for the third consecutive time, following victories at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

First of many to come

Oznur Cure Girdi ended Türkiye's long wait for a gold medal in para archery.

After Gizem Girismen won Türkiye's first gold in para archery in Beijing in 2008, Oznur claimed gold in women's compound bow after 16 years.

Türkiye also won its first Paralympic gold medals in taekwondo and judo.

Mahmut Bozteke won gold in the men’s 63 kg K44 taekwondo category, and Ibrahim Bolukbasi won gold in the 90 kg J2 judo category.

In addition to para archery and para taekwondo, Türkiye also secured its first-ever gold medal in para swimming.

In wheelchair fencing, Hakkan Akkaya's bronze medal became Türkiye's first.

Medals in 10 different branches

Türkiye set a record by winning medals in 10 different games. Competing in 15 disciplines at Paris 2024, Türkiye achieved success by earning medals in 10 of them.

The medals were won in swimming, archery, shooting, taekwondo, athletics, table tennis, fencing, weightlifting, judo, and goalball.

Türkiye succeeded in winning medals across all three impairment categories at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Athletes with physical disabilities, visually impaired athletes, and athletes with intellectual disabilities all contributed to Türkiye's medal tally at Paris 2024.

One of the most significant achievements for Türkiye at Paris 2024 was the success of athletes with intellectual disabilities, earning three medals.

Aysel Onder won silver in the women’s 400m T20 para-athletics, Fatma Damla Altin secured bronze in the long jump T20, and Kubra Korkut won bronze in Class 11 para-table tennis.

World records

Türkiye set two world records at the Games. Aysel Onder set a new World and Paralympic Games record with a time of 54.96 in the para-athletics 400m T20 heats.

Oznur Cure Girdi also set a new world and Paralympic Games record with 704 points in the women’s compound bow ranking rounds.

Türkiye's most successful branch at the Games was para swimming, while the most medals were won in para taekwondo. Türkiye won 2 gold and 1 bronze medal in para-swimming, and para-taekwondo ended with 5 medals: 1 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze.

In team sports, the Women’s Goalball National Team won gold, retaining their champion status.

Serkan’s legal battle continues

One gold medal was withdrawn from Türkiye's Paralympic tally.

National athlete Serkan Yildirim won gold in the para-athletics 100m T12 event. However, following an appeal by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the medal was withdrawn by a higher court's decision.

Serkan was also not permitted to compete in the 400m T12 event, where he was a major favourite.

The Turkish National Paralympic Committee has initiated legal action, and it will be determined whether Serkan's medal will be restored after the legal process ends.