Sümeyye Boyacı

Sümeyye Boyacı (born February 5, 2003) is a Turkish female Paralympic swimmer. She competes in the disability category of S5 in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, specializing in sprint events.

Sümeyye Boyacı

Personal information
Nationality	Turkish
Born	February 5, 2003 Eskişehir, Turkey
Height	1.58 m (5 ft 2 in)
Weight	49 kg (108 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle, backstroke, butterfly
Club	Eskilehir Metropolitan Nunicipality SC
Coach	Mehmet Bayrak
Medal record Paralympic swimming Representing  Turkey World Para Swimming Championships 2019 London 50 m backstroke S5 World Para Swimming European Championships 2018 Dublin 50 m backstroke S5 World Para Swimming World Series 2019 Indianapolis 50 m backstroke S5 European Para Youth Games 2017 Liguria 50 m backstroke S1-5

Personal history

Sümeyye Boyacı was born as her parents' first child in Eskişehir, Turkey on February 5, 2003.[1][2] She has no arms (bilateral congenital upper extremity agenesis) and a hip dislocation as a birth defect.[2][3]

She was schooled in a special primary school in her hometown, where she learned writing with her foot in the first grade.[4]

Painting career

At the age of four and half, she began painting with her foot.[3] She made a painting for Altın Balık ("The Golden Fish"), the Turkish translation of the Russian book of tale (Russian: Cказка о рыбаке и рыбке) by Alexander Pushkin.[5][6] Her painting was presented to the Turkish President Abdullah Gül for his official visit to Russia.[5] In April 2009, her watercolor paintings were on display in a personal exhibition in Moscow, Russia. Boyacı gifted one of her paintings to the First Lady of Russia Svetlana Medvedeva in 2010.[4][7] In 2014, she participated at an exhibition in Eskişehir for traditional Turkish handicrafts with her paper marblings.[8]

Swimming career

Boyacı decided to begin with swimming as she carefully watched the fish in her aquarium, and discovered that they swim without arms.[3] Boyacı began with swimming in 2008. She has been coached by Mehmet Bayrak since 2012.[2]

In June 2016, she competed at the 30th International German Championships in Berlin.[9] She internationally debuted in the senior class in 2016.[2] She was qualified for the 2016 Summer Paralympics, and represented her country in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She failed to capture any medal.[2] She took part at the 2017 European Para Youth Games held in Liguria, Italy, and won the bronze medal in the 50 m Backstroke S1-5 event.[2]

In 2019, she captured the gold medal in the 50 m Backstroke S5 event at the World Para Swimming World Series held in Indianapolis, USA with a time of 45.28.[10] At the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships in London, U.K., she won the silver medal in the 50 m backstroke S5 event with a time of 44.74.[11]

The 1.58 m (5 ft 2 in) tall para swimmer at 49 kg (108 lb) is a member of Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Sports Club.[2] Boyacı's disability swimming classification is S5 due to her limb deficiency as a birth defect.[3][2]

Achievements

Competition	Place	Event	Rank	Time	Ref
30th International German Championships	Germany, Berlin	100 m Breaststroke S6	Heats	4:03.27	[9]
		50 m Backstroke Youth-B S5		52.60
		50 m Freestyle S5	Heats	51.68
		50 m Butterfly S5	Heats	1:01.27
2016 Paralympic Games	Brazil, Rio de Janeiro	50 m Backstroke S5	8	50.34	[1]
2017 European Para Youth Games	Italy, Liguria	50 m Freestyle S1-5	4	52.21	[12]
		50 m Backstroke S1-5		51.98
2017 World Championships	Mexico, Mexico City	50m Freestyle S5	7	47.85	[1]
		50m Butterfly S5	6	50.99
		50m Backstroke S5	4	46.57
		200m Freestyle S1-5	7	3:58.38
2018 World Para Swimming European Championships	Ireland, Dublin	50m Backstroke S5		45.21	[13][14]
2019 World Para Swimming World Series	United States Indianapolis	50 m Backstroke S5		45.28	[10]
2019 World Para Swimming Championships	United Kingdom London	50 m Backstroke S5		44.74	[11]

References

1. "Athlete Profile Swimming: Boyaci Sumeyye". Paralympic Mexico City 2017. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
2. "Athlete Profile Swimming: Boyaci Sumeyye". Paralympic Mexico City 2017. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
3. "Efsane değil gerçek deniz kızı". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 2008-11-08. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
4. "6 yaşındaki Sümeyye'nin inanılmaz azmi". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 2009-09-16. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
5. "Küçük Sümeyye'den Cumhurbaşkanı Gül'e davet". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
6. Ataklı, Can (2017-01-22). "Açgözlülük üzerine bir Rus masalı". Sözcü (in Turkish). Retrieved 2018-01-03.
7. "Medvedev bile ona hayran". Vatan (in Turkish). 2010-01-19. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
8. "Ayakları İle Ebru Yapan Sümeyye Boyacı Vali Tuna'yı Makamında Ziyaret Etti". Milliyet (in Turkish). 2014-11-17. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
9. "Protokoll 30. Internationale Deutsche Meisterschaften" (PDF) (in German). Internationale Deutsche Meisterschaft. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
10. "Sümeyye Boyacı'dan altın madalya". CNN Tğrk (in Turkish). 8 April 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
11. "Sümeyye Boyacı dünya ikincisi oldu". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 14 September 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
12. "SSwimming Competition". 2017 European Para Youth Games. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
13. "Turkey embraces champion Sümeyye". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
14. "Sümeyye Boyacı wins gold for Turkey at the 2018 World Para Swimming European Championships". balkaneu.com. Retrieved 2018-08-23.