Dervis Konuralp
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Dervis Konuralp (born 1980) is a British
Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Kore ...
swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
who has represented Great Britain at four
Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disability, disabilities. There are Winter Paralympic Games, Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 ...
, three
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
s and four
European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...
.


Biography

Konuralp was born in Hackney to a
Turkish Cypriot Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( or ; ) are so called ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots are mainly Sunni Muslims. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,000 Turkish settlers were given land onc ...
father and an
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
mother. At the age of nine, Dervis was diagnosed with an eye condition called Macular Dystrophy Stargardts, which meant that he was losing the use of his central vision in both eyes. After learning of his visual impairment, Konuralp began to learn how to swim with his primary school. Dervis would go on to compete for Hackney in the
London Youth Games The London Youth Games is an annual multi-sport event held in London, England. The London Youth Games offer competitive opportunities for young people aged 7 to 18 (who live or go to school in London) across approximately 30 sports every year. ...
as a visually impaired disability swimmer. Konuralp's swimming career started when he joined Elaine Barrett a fellow Paralympian, both being coached by Michelle Weltman. Konuralp represented Great Britain in four
Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disability, disabilities. There are Winter Paralympic Games, Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 ...
. The first of which was at the age of only 15 years old, at the
1996 Summer Paralympics The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, were held from August 16 to 25. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million. It was the first Paralympic Games where Internatio ...
. Konuralp has also competed at three World Championships and four European Championships, winning a total of 35 major international medals, 14 of which Gold. He became World Champion and World record holder at just 17 years of age. Konuralp was a London 2012 Olympic and 2012 Paralympic Ambassador. As part of this role, Konuralp delivered motivational keynote speeches in various environments. These included schools, sports clubs, after dinner events and corporate events. He is a member of the
London Youth Games Hall of Fame The Balfour Beatty London Youth Games Hall of Fame was created in 2009 to recognise former London Youth Games competitors who have gone on to world class sporting careers and to celebrate the role the Games have had in their development. Since it ...
from 2009. Konuralp graduated from City University (
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
) in Computer Science (BSc).


References


External links


Official Website
1980 births Living people Alumni of City, University of London Swimmers from the London Borough of Hackney Paralympic swimmers for Great Britain English people of Turkish Cypriot descent Sportspeople of Turkish Cypriot descent Swimmers at the 1996 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Paralympic bronze medalists for Great Britain Paralympic medalists in swimming Medalists at the World Para Swimming Championships S13-classified para swimmers {{UK-Paralympic-medalist-stub