Our National Swimmer Sümeyye Boyacı Makes Us Proud

Turkey's national Paralympic swimmer Sümeyye Boyacı made her country proud by finishing as world runner-up in the women's 50-metre backstroke at the World Paralympic Swimming Championships held in London. She took up swimming in 2008 after being inspired by watching fish swim in an aquarium without using their fins. Speaking about her thoughts on the Swimming Championships, Sümeyye Boyacı said: "I became the first female world runner-up in swimming in our Republic's history. This is a source of immense pride for me. My opponent touched the wall with her arm and secured first place by 3 hundredths of a second. Being a world runner-up at just 16 years of age is a unique source of pride for me. It was a great experience. Hopefully we will achieve even greater success ahead." she said. Following her start working with coach Mehmet Bayrak in 2013, Sümeyye Boyacı competed in the 30th International German Championships held in Berlin in June 2016, her first international competition, where she won gold in the 50-metre backstroke girls' B S5 category. At the 2016 Summer Paralympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro, she finished 8th in the 50-metre backstroke S5 category. In 2017, at the European Paralympic Youth Games hosted by Liguria, she won bronze in the 50-metre backstroke S1-5 category and finished 4th in the 50-metre freestyle S1-5 category. In December 2017, she also represented her country by competing in four different categories at the World Paralympic Swimming Championships held in Mexico.