Bahattin Hekimoğlu

Hekimoğlu was born in the Şişli district of Istanbul, Turkey on 12 January 1989.[2][3]

After finishing high school in 2006, Hekimoğlu was about to enroll at Sakarya University. During the summer vacation that year, he went with his friends to Heybeliada, Istanbul to swim. Hekimoğlu hit the seabed after he jumped headfirst into the sea from the pier. He broke his neck, could not get out of the water, drowned, and his heart stopped. He was rescued by a physician, and was rushed to a hospital. He later learned that he was paralyzed following surgery for the spinal cord injury. He was not able to walk, and did not leave his home for the next two years. In 2008, his life changed when he received a motorized wheelchair from the "Türkiye Omurilik Felçlileri Derneği - TOFD" ("Turkey Spinal Cord Paralytics Association").[2]

In 2013, Hekimoğlu joined the project "Disabled Designers - The Swallow Project" and received vocational training in graphic design. After twelve months of training, he was employed by the TOFD.[2]

In 2016, Hekimoğlu decided to get involved in sport. He exercised three months long with pulleys for physical strength.[4] By December of that year, he joined the "Okçular Vakfı Spor Kulübü" ("Archers Foundation Sports Club") obtaining his license. He became champion in the Turkish Outdoor Para Archery Championship.[2]

Competing in the W1 class of the recurve division, Hekimoğlu won the gold medal at the 2018 European Para Archery Championships held in Plzeň, Czech Republic.[5] He took the gold medal in the Individual W1 event at the 2019 World Para Archery Championship in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.[6] At the 2021 Fazza Para Archery World Ranking Tournament held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, he captured two gold medals, one in the Individual W1 and the other in the mixed team event together with his teammate Fatma Danabaş.[7]