National paralympic swimmers Sümeyye Boyacı and Sevilay Öztürk evaluated their achievements on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey. Sümeyye Boyacı said that she was proud to be the first Turkish paralympic swimmer to win the world and European championship.
Sümeyye Boyacı stated that she tried to set an example as much as she could for the athletes who would come after her and used the following statements:
Our Republic is actually a treasure entrusted and gifted to us, Turkish youth, by the Great Leader Atatürk and his comrades in arms. As the youth of the Republic, we are obliged to protect this treasure, this trust, by increasing its value every year. We celebrate the Republic again and again, not only on October 29, but also every time we get up for training and receive a medal.
“I HAVE A DREAM THAT FALLS INTO WATER AT THE 2020 TOKYO PARALYMPIC GAMES”
Sümeyye Boyacı, who received a quota for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, made the following assessment:
The work is going very well. We are in the beginning of the season. We are currently doing our measurement tests at Eryaman TOHM. We are having a productive camp. After the camp, after the world series, of course the biggest race we are waiting for is the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. I had a dream that was dashed at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. I want to blow that dream back out of the water in Paris and wear that medal around my neck. I want to fly our flag and show the power of Turkish women to the whole world.
SEVİLAY ÖZTÜRK: I WON OUR FIRST MEDAL IN PARALYMPIC SWIMMING
Sevilay Öztürk, the swimmer who won the first medal in the Paralympic games, stated that she started swimming at the age of 6.
Stating that she was the youngest athlete to participate in the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, Sevilay Öztürk said, “I swam my first finals there. After that, I participated in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games and came third. I won our first medal in the swimming branch at the Paralympic games. I am very happy and proud to have made history. “By taking 2 silver and 2 bronze medals at the 2021 European Championship, I became the first person to return to Turkey with so many medals.” he said.
Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Republic, Sevilay stated that he wanted to win a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.
THE EFFECT OF SPORTS ON SEVİLAY’S LIFE
Sevilay emphasized that her life has changed a lot since she started paralympic swimming and said:
I wasn’t a very social person before I started sports. Now I socialize a lot and have a network. I have so many lovers right now. They recognize us when we go out, we like it very much. I would like to say this to disabled families, they should not keep their children at home. Just give them self-confidence. There is no such thing as socializing by doing sports.
Stating that she had difficulty getting into the pool at first, but she got through this process with the support of her family, Sevilay said, “At first, my father was very helpful. He showed me the styles at home. It was very difficult for me to start swimming, but then he helped me hold on to life.” she said.