Mirzet Duran

Started: He began playing sitting volleyball in 2003 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (azramag.ba, 09 Feb 2016; ocaminhoeofim.blogspot.co.uk, 24 Mar 2014) Reason: He met the coach of sitting volleyball club OKI Fantomi Sarajevo at a Para sports awards ceremony and was encouraged to attend a training session. "When I was training the first time it was so strange, so many people without legs. I was very young at the time, but after a few times my impression changed. It took many years to accept what happened to me, but I found salvation in sports. The club is like my second family. The support and friendship that I have there I cannot find anywhere else." (Marshall Legacy Institute Facebook page, 10 Apr 2022; ocaminhoeofim.blogspot.co.uk, 24 Mar 2014) Awards: He was named Most Valuable Player [MVP] at the 2023 European Golden Nations League in Balikesir, Turkiye. (ParaVolley Europe Facebook page, 25 Jun 2023) He was named Most Valuable Player [MVP] in the men's competition at the 2021 European Championships in Kemer, Turkiye. (reprezentacija.ba, 24 Oct 2021) In 2020 he received a Recognition Award from the World ParaVolley Federation. The honour acknowledges the recipient's significant contribution towards and development of sitting volleyball. (worldparavolley.org, 24 Apr 2020) He was named Best Hitter at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. (facethebalkans, 25 Oct 2012)