Mahmut Bozteke (born 21 June 1997) is a Turkish

Para Taekwondo Para taekwondo is an adaptation of taekwondo for disabled sportspeople. The sport's main governing body is World Taekwondo (WT). New disciplines such as ''kyorugi'' and ''poomsae'', both martial arts forms, have been developed for para-athletes. ...

athlete. He is a two-time Paralympian, Paralympics and several times European champion.

Early life

At age eleven, his arms were caught in the tail shaft of a tractor while he was working in a

pistachio The pistachio (, ; ''Pistacia vera'') is a small to medium-sized tree of the Anacardiaceae, cashew family, originating in Iran. The tree produces nut (fruit)#Culinary definition and uses, seeds that are widely consumed as food. In 2022, world ...

tree garden. Bozteke's arms were severed in the accident, and he was hospitalised for three and half months. He had a partial amputation of his arms and tissue taken from his legs allowed partial reconstruction of his arms over the course of fifteen operations. He was bedridden at home for a year recovering from injury and the operations. Having no hands, he learned to do his daily work with his feet. He was introduced to Taekwondo at a gymnasium of the Youth and Sports Provincial Directorate in his neighbourhood on the recommendation of his physiotherapist, who told him, "You use your feet well, I think you can practise taekwondo." During his secondary education at Kanuni Sultan Süleyman High School, he participated in regional competitions for para-swimming in the S6 disability class.

Sports career

The 23-year-old athlete became the Turkish champion in Para Taekwondo before he competed internationally. He won the bronze medal in the K44 disability class in the under weight class at the 2016 European Para Taekwondo Championships held in Warsaw, Poland. At the 2017 World Para Taekwondo Championships in London, England, he won the silver medal in the K44 event. Bozteke won the gold medal in the K44 event at the 2019 Para Taekwondo Championships in

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

, Italy. Bozteke qualified for the para-taekwondo games at the rescheduled

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the Inte ...

to be held in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan, beginning on 24 August 2021. He waon one of the bronze medals in the -61 kg event. He was named as one of two flag bearers along with

Sevilay Öztürk Sevilay Öztürk (born 28 November 2003) is a Turkish Paralympic swimmer. She competes in the disability category of S5 in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, specializing in sprint events. She competed in the 2016 Summer Paralympics. Perso ...

by the Turkish National Paralympic Committee to lead the Turkish contingent for the opening ceremony of the

2024 Summer Paralympics The 2024 Summer Paralympics (), also known as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (), and branded as Paris 2024, were the 17th Summer Paralympic Games, an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event governed by the International P ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France. He captured the gold medal defeating Mongolian Bolor-Erdene Ganbat in the final of the K44 63 kg event at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bozteke, Mahmut 1997 births Living people Turkish male taekwondo practitioners Paralympic taekwondo practitioners for Turkey Paralympic gold medalists for Turkey Paralympic bronze medalists for Turkey Paralympic medalists in taekwondo Taekwondo practitioners at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Taekwondo practitioners at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the European Para Championships Sportspeople from Şanlıurfa 21st-century Turkish sportsmen