Turkey goes to Paralympics with high hopes

ISTANBUL

(Clockwise from top) The men’s wheelchair basketball team, shooter Korhan Yamaç and archer Gizem Girişmen are among Turkey’s biggest medal hopes in London.

Turkey is sending its largest group of athletes ever to next week’s Paralympic Games in London. 
The country will be represented with 67 athletes at the Paralympics, more than four times its number at the 2008 Beijing Games. 

Turkey had eight athletes in 2004 Athens and 16 in 2008 Beijing. 

The main reason for the massive increase is that Turkey will be represented in team sports for the first time, with basketball, futsal and goalball teams heading to compete at the 2012 Paralympics, which will run from Aug. 29 to Sept. 9. 

Turkey’s first ever Paralympic golden medalist, archer Gizem Girişmen, will defend her title in the individual recurve. 

“I have worked for six hours a day for months and had three different camps. Now I feel ready for the London Games,” Girişmen told Anatolia news agency. “I worked hard and will try my best to defend my title in London.” 

Girişmen is aware that the expectations doubled after her Beijing success. 

“Returning from Beijing with a gold medal gave me extra responsibility,” she said. “I am going to London being aware of it. I want to win another gold medal to give pride to my country.” 

Girişmen is one of 11 archers in the Turkish Paralympic squad. 

Apart from Girişmen, the only other Turkish medalist in Beijing with her bronze, Neslihan Kavas, is one of six table tennis players in the Turkish squad. 

Turkey also has six powerlifters, six judokas, five shooters, five track and field athletes and two swimmers going to the Paralympics. 

Shooter Korhan Yamaç, Turkey’s first-ever Paralympic medalist with a gold medal in the mixed free pistol and bronze in the mixed sport pistol in 2004, is among the country’s medal hopes. World champion shooter Cevat Karagöl is another. 

“We are going to the Paralympics with a record number of athletes,” Karagöl said. “I hope we do our best to return with medals.” 

But for Paralympic athletes, winning is not the only goal. 

“I had not even thought about making it to the Paralympics,” said Nesim Öner, a blind track and field athlete. “I have worked hard and reached the ultimate goal, something every athlete dreams about. I believe I will represent my country in the best way possible.”