Nesim Turan

Started: He took up the sport in 2007 in Turkiye. (Athlete, 15 May 2016) Reason: "Everything was a process that started with meeting my teachers Ilhami and Yusuf Kilinckaya. We met at school, a boarding school. At that time, they were working on creating the infrastructure of the national team. Thanks to this duo, many members of our team discovered table tennis." (aa.com.tr, 02 Dec 2022; trtspor.com.tr, 02 Apr 2022; trthaber.com, 18 Feb 2022) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (trthaber.com, 18 Feb 2022) Additional Info: LONG-TIME TEAMMATE He and Turkish Para table tennis player Abdullah Ozturk took up the sport together at Dogan Caglar Secondary School for the Physically Disabled in Ankara, Turkiye. They have since played alongside and against each other in international tournaments. "To compete in the same category with an athlete like Abdullah Ozturk, it is a great pride to represent Turkiye together. If you ask him the same question, he will give the same answer. We have been together for over 14 years [speaking in 2022], we have both team friendship and siblings relationship. We started the sport together. We achieved all our successes together. Our biggest goal is to play in the final at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris." (aa.com.tr, 02 Dec 2022; socratesdergi.com, 02 Jul 2022; trtspor.com.tr, 02 Apr 2022)