For the first time in history, Türkiye's rowing team is gearing up to represent the nation at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Training intensively on the Meriç River, Türkiye's sole Olympic-standard rowing course, the team is fine-tuning their skills under the guidance of coach Orkun Pelvan.
Yiğit Doğukan Bozkurt and Nurşen Şen, set to compete in the mixed double sculls category, are focused on their preparations as the games approach, starting on Aug. 28.
Pelvan highlighted the team's impressive achievement of securing an Olympic quota in just one year of formation and emphasized their goal of clinching a medal.
"We’ve made significant strides with the new course in Edirne," Pelvan told Anadolu Agency (AA). "This 2,200-meter stretch of calm water with minimal wind offers ideal conditions for competition, a much-needed upgrade after years of longing for such a facility."
The rowing events are scheduled from Aug. 30 to Sept. 3, where the team will vie for medals.
Despite being a newcomer to the Paralympics, Türkiye has quickly made its mark with notable performances at the European Indoor Rowing Championships and World Championships.
Pelvan aims to reach the A final and compete fiercely for medals.
Yiğit Doğukan Bozkurt expressed his excitement about the upcoming Games, stating: "We are thrilled to represent Türkiye and are determined to win a medal. Our goal is to reach the A final and give our best performance."
Nurşen Şen echoed the sentiment, promising to do everything possible to wave the Turkish flag proudly at the Olympics.
