Sumeyye Boyaci

Started: She began swimming in 2008 in Eskisehir, Turkey. (Athlete, 04 Dec 2017) Reason: She became interested in the sport after watching fish swim in an aquarium and noticing they did not have arms, like her. Her mother then encouraged her to pursue the sport. "Swimming is my everything. It is great therapy for me. In the water, I feel freer than anywhere else." (fanatik.com.tr, 26 Jul 2019; Euro News YouTube channel, 21 Sep 2018; Athlete, 04 Dec 2017) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Turk Paralimpik Instagram profile, 14 Mar 2024) Milestones: She became the first female Para swimmer representing Turkiye to win gold at the world championships by claiming victory in the S5 50m backstroke at the 2022 edition of the tournament in Madeira, Portugal. (SportsDeskOnline, 17 Mar 2024) Awards: In 2020 she was named Paralympic Athlete of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year at the Milliyet Athlete of the Year Awards in Turkey. (aa.com.tr, 16 Nov 2020) In 2018 she received the Republican Gold medal from the mayor of the city of Eskisehir in Turkey. The honour was in recognition of her performance at the 2018 World Series event in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (istekadinlar.com, 19 Aug 2018) Additional Info: FEET DEXTERITY She has developed the dexterity in her feet to the point where she is able to create art, cook and design fashion. She began painting with her feet at age four and then took up paper marbling in primary school. Her watercolour and paper marbling artwork has been featured in a number of exhibitions around the world. "I drew my first rose when I was four years old. My mother had to believe [it was] me because there wasn't anyone else at home. My mother joked, 'If there was someone else at home, they wouldn't believe that you did it'. Then I improved my painting ability. I exhibited the marbling that I made years ago in Moscow [in 2019]. People can actually do anything that they want. There is nothing they cannot do if they have an impairment. The important thing is to be happy. Having an impairment does not stop me from doing anything. In my free time I design clothes. I do not just do the drawing but I sew the dresses too. I started sewing the clothes I designed with a sewing machine, but I can also sew using my feet without using a machine." (Instagram profile, 08 Oct 2019; alansavunmasi.org, 08 Oct 2019; memurlar.net, 20 Sep 2019; istekadinlar.com, 19 Aug 2018; onedio.com, 30 Apr 2018) BARBIE DOLL In 2020 toy company Mattel produced a Barbie doll depicting the likeness of Boyaci. The doll has no arms and features wings painted across her torso. It was produced as part of the company's new line of dolls honouring female athletes, which were released on International Women's Day on 08 March 2020. "This was something I couldn't imagine until I was told. I couldn't believe it when I first heard it, I wanted to scream. I will never forget my feelings at the moment. A Barbie without arms has never been produced until now, I was the first. A Barbie was released of me without arms, but with wings. I have invisible wings. One is my joy and determination for life, the other is my family's support for me. So two wings." (anadolugazetesi.com, 04 Mar 2020; ntv.com.tr, 09 Mar 2020)