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Kubra Korkut, a national para table tennis athlete and two-time Paralympic silver medalist, is gearing up to chase a world title at the 2026 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Para Table Tennis Championships, scheduled to take place in Pattaya, Thailand, from Nov. 13 to 19.
Korkut won silver in the team category at the 2012 London Paralympics and in the individual category at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Korkut said her preparations with the national team and her club were going well and that she was aiming to finish in the top three at the World Championships, though her ultimate goal, like every athlete's, remains a title.
She added that she has no plans to retire, hoping to keep playing until age 65 if her health allows.
The athlete said both success and failure motivate her, since an athlete with goals never stops working toward them. "I have goals," she said, adding that she wants to become a Paralympic, world, and European champion.
Korkut acknowledged that anxiety and fear are part of competition and stressed the importance of managing stress during matches, since not every match ends in victory.
She said the most memorable moment of her career came at the 2022 World Championships in Spain, where she finally beat a Dutch opponent who had defeated her in every previous final. "Together with my coach Fatih, we managed to achieve it," she said. "It was a proud moment, one I can never forget."
Korkut also urged other athletes with disabilities to stay positive and believe in themselves, saying she has never let her condition limit her. "I have never said, 'I'm disabled, I can't do it,'" she said.
She noted that she lives with her daughter and husband, who is also her coach, and emphasized the importance of family and staying positive. "We must be happy," she said.
"We may not have all our limbs; we may be in wheelchairs, but in the end, we must exist. We must always support ourselves."
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