Aksaray’s rising para shooting star Hüsnü Yusuf Vural is grinding toward the biggest target of his young career: winning gold at the 2026 European Para Shooting Championships.
Vural, now 24, has built his sporting journey on resilience. At just 18 months old, he lost his right arm after it was caught in a meat grinder at his father’s workshop.
The injury reshaped his childhood, but never dimmed his competitive spirit.
His first break came at age 12, when a teacher encouraged him to try badminton.
Over the next eight years he fought his way through national tournaments, collecting silver and bronze medals and dreaming of a national team call-up that never quite came.
Everything changed in 2025 when coach Ergün Aydoğan introduced him to para shooting.
The sport clicked instantly.
Vural felt excitement the first time he lifted the rifle; the promising scores in early training sessions sealed his belief that he had found the right discipline.
Soon after, he grabbed first place at his debut Turkish championship and punched his ticket to the national team through selection trials.
Although he missed the podium at the 2024 European Para Shooting Championships in Croatia, the experience steeled him rather than slowed him.
Now a graduate of Aksaray University’s Faculty of Sports Sciences, Vural trains full time at the Aksaray Paralympic Games Preparation Center, building toward January’s continental championship.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Vural said the accident that changed his life also shaped his determination.
“I faced a lot of challenges, but I overcame them,” he said. “I had strong results in badminton, but Ergün hocam introduced me to shooting, motivated me, and that’s how my shooting career began. When I held the rifle for the first time, I was excited. The good results in training motivated me even more.”
That progress became tangible in competition.
“I won the Turkish Championship in my first attempt and earned a place on the national team,” he said. “I went to the European Championships in Croatia. Even though I did everything I could, things didn’t go as planned. But with experience, I know I will achieve better results.”
Chasing a High-Score Final and a Gold Medal
Wearing the national jersey, Vural says, comes with “a unique feeling and a great responsibility.”
He is now sharpening his focus for Europe’s biggest stage.
“The 2026 European Para Shooting Championships will be held in January, and we’re preparing accordingly,” he said. “I’m doing mostly match-style training, trying to achieve high scores. I intensified my work so I can enter the final with a strong score. We train twice a day on specific days. I want to finish in the top eight and then win the gold medal.”
Coach Aydoğan believes Vural is on the right path.
“Hüsnü Yusuf is an exceptional athlete,” he said. “He won the Turkish Championship just two months after starting shooting and made the national team soon after. We’re preparing hard for the European Championships. Inshallah, he will return with a medal. He is ambitious, disciplined, and capable of winning gold in upcoming competitions.”
