Turkish athletes win two more medals at Paralympic Games

LONDON

Turkish Paralympic archer Doğan Hancı competes at the Royal Artillery Barracks during the 2012 London Paralympics. Hancı beat Guillermo Rodriguez of Spain 6-2 in the third place match to clinch the bronze. EPA photo

Turkish participants at the London Paralympics have gained two more medals, bringing to eight the number of times the country’s athletes have taken their place on the podium.

Neslihan Kavas lost 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-7 to China’s Lina Lei late Sept. 3 to settle for the silver medal in table tennis, while archer Doğan Hancı beat Guillermo Rodriguez of Spain 6-2 at the Royal Artillery Barracks in the third place match to clinch the bronze.

Turkey is enjoying its best-ever Paralympics performance with a total of eight medals; one gold, four silver and three bronze. Prior to the London event, Turkish athletes had won a total of four medals since the 1992 Paralympics in Barcelona.

Bronze winner Hancı told Anatolia news agency in London that the competition was tough.

“The secret to my success is working hard,” Hancı said. “I have always had the support of my family and people around me, and thanks to God, I made it.”

Hancı, a local of the eastern province of Erzurum, said he wanted to help raise young Paralympians in his hometown for the future of the sport.

“Me and my family are thinking of making a comprehensive study for archery in Erzurum,” the bronze medalist said. “I want to work with physically challenged young people and raise them as archers. May aim is to raise champion athletes. Maybe I will continue to compete, but I want other names from Erzurum to be in the competition with me.”

Meanwhile, Oscar Pistorius will face no disciplinary action over his outburst following defeat in the men’s 200 meters final, Paralympic organizers said yesterday.

‘Unfair adavantage’
Moments after losing to Brazil’s Alan Oliveira on Sept. 2, his first 200m defeat in nine years, Pistorius used a post-race interview to question the legitimacy of his defeat.

Pistorius, dubbed the “Blade Runner,” suggested that his opponent’s prosthetics were too long, thereby artificially lengthening his stride, giving him an unfair advantage.

“There will be no disciplinary action against Oscar for his comments,” International Paralympic Committee (IPC) director of communications Craig Spence told reporters yesterday.

Pistorius apologized for the timing of his comments in a statement on Sept. 3, but maintained there was still a fundamental issue about the length of athletes’ prosthetics that needed to be addressed.
Pistorius met with Paralympic officials in the immediate aftermath of his defeat when it was decided a further meeting would take place to discuss his concerns. The South African athlete continues his Paralympic campaign today in the 100m heats, with the 400m and 4x400m relay to follow later in the week. Pistorius gained fame for becoming the first Paralympic athlete to compete in the regular Olympics earlier this summer.