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Hakan Akkaya, the national athlete competing in the Wheelchair Fencing World Cup in Italy, won the gold medal.
The Turkish National Paralympic Committee stated that Hakan Akkaya won the gold medal in the men's foil A category at the event held in Pisa, adding, "We sincerly congratulate our athlete, who has once again brought great pride to our country with his determination, experience, and resolve. We also sincerely congratulate the Turkish Fencing Federation, his valuable coach, and our technical team for their contributions to this important achievement."
Senay Guner, who competed in the men's epee A category, finished in 13th place.
Hakan Akkaya is a Turkish wheelchair fencer born on March 7, 1995, in the Nilüfer district of Bursa. Competing as a left-handed athlete, he takes part in all three fencing disciplines — epee, foil and sabre — and represents the Hakan Akkaya Eskrim Akademisi Spor Kulubu under the guidance of head coach Rumen Marinov Kamadzhiev.
He lost both legs below the knee at the age of three after coming into contact with electrical wires while playing on the terrace of his family home. Years later, he turned to sport and began fencing in 2013 through programs organized by Nilüfer Municipality, marking the start of a career that would help shape the development of wheelchair fencing in Türkiye.
Akkaya is recognized as Türkiye’s first physically disabled fencing athlete and is credited with contributing to the establishment of wheelchair fencing within the Türkiye Physically Disabled Sports Federation. Since 2015, he has earned medals at every world championship he has participated in, building a consistent international record.
Among the highlights of his career, Akkaya won a gold medal in the foil category at the 2017 U23 Wheelchair Fencing World Championships. He later qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, becoming the first athlete to secure a Paralympic quota place for Türkiye in wheelchair fencing. At the Games, he recorded one victory and three defeats in foil competition and finished 14th overall in the men’s individual epee pool stage.
He also claimed a silver medal in the epee event at a senior World Cup competition held in Pisa, Italy, in November 2021.
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