Turkish athletes bring in 10 medals in Paralympic Games

Turkey's para-athletes won three gold, five silver, and two bronze medals in the first three days of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Five medals came from taekwondo, two from athletics, and one each from archery, shooting, and table tennis.

Para-archer Öznur Cüre Girdi wins gold in the women's compound open category.

Duvar English

Turkish athletes have won three gold, five silver, and two bronze medals in the first three days of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

On Sept. 1, archer Öznur Cüre Girdi competed in the women's compound archery event, where she faced Iran's Fatemeh Hemmati in the final. Girdi won the match 144-141, becoming the Paralympic champion.

Girdi secured Turkey's first Paralympic gold in archery in 16 years. The last time Turkey won gold in archery at the Paralympics was in 2008, when Gizem Girişmen claimed the top spot in the women's recurve event, marking a historic achievement as both a female athlete and a Paralympic archer.

Para taekwondo athletes brought in five medals for the country. Mahmut Bozteke won the country’s first Paralympics gold medal in taekwondo, winning against Bolor-Erdene Ganbat of Mongolia. 

Gamze Gürdal finished with silver in the women’s 57 kg competition. Her rival Yuije Li won gold after winning the final match 11 to 0. Meryem Betül Çavdar won bronze in the women’s 52 kg competition, winning the match 6 to 3 against her Mexican rival Jessica Garcia Quijano. 

Fatih Çelik also won silver in men’s 70 kg competition, after a match against Azerbaijan’s Imamaddin Khalilov. Ali Can Özcan won silver in the men’s 58 kg competition. 

In the para table tennis, Turkey’s mixed doubles team Abdullah Öztürk and Nesim Turan won bronze in the quarter-finals.

On Aug. 31, Serkan Yıldırım won gold in the men’s 100-meter sprint, 

Aysel Özgan won silver in women’s 10-meter air pistol with 231.1 points. Muhammet Khalvandi won silver in the men’s javelin throw event with his 49.97-meter throw.