Mehmet Vasıf Yakut (born 15 March 1989) is a Turkish
Para Taekwondo
Para Taekwondo is an adaptation of ''Taekwondo'' for disabled athletes. The sport's main governing body is World Taekwondo (WT). New disciplines such as ''kyorugi'' and ''poomsae'', both martial arts forms, have been developed for para-athletes. ...
practitioner. He obtained a quota for participation at the
2020 Summer Paralympics
The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralym ...
in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, Japan.
Private life
Mehmet Vasıf Yakut was born in
Gevaş district of
Van, Turkey
Van ( hy, Վան; ku, Wan) is a mostly Kurdish-populated and historically Armenian-populated city in eastern Turkey's Van Province. The city lies on the eastern shore of Lake Van.
Van has a long history as a major urban area. It has been a larg ...
on 15 March 1989.
He is disabled resulting from a
birth defect
A birth defect, also known as a congenital disorder, is an abnormal condition that is present at birth regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can ...
.
Sports career
Yakut began performin para taekwondo after he met a taekwondo practitioner in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
in 2016.
He is tall at. He is a member of
İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor
İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi S.K., shortly Istanbul BB SK or IBBSK, is a multi-sports club of the metropolitan municipality of Istanbul in Turkey.
Branches
The club has following sport branches:
*Volleyball (Arome Men's League),
*Basket ...
, where he is coached by Ali Özen.
He competes in the sport class K43 +73 kg of
Para Taekwondo
Para Taekwondo is an adaptation of ''Taekwondo'' for disabled athletes. The sport's main governing body is World Taekwondo (WT). New disciplines such as ''kyorugi'' and ''poomsae'', both martial arts forms, have been developed for para-athletes. ...
.
Yakut was admitted to the Turkey national team after he became runners-up and then champion in the national championships.
He won a gold medal at the 2018 European Para Taekwondo Chanpionship in
Plovdiv
Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...
, Bulgaria,
and another gold medal at the 2019 World Para Taekwondo Championship in
Antalya
Antalya () is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, fifth-most populous city in Turkey as well as the capital of Antalya Province. Located on Anatolia's southwest coast bordered by the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is the largest Turkish cit ...
, Turkey.
He took the silver medal at the 2019 European Para Taekwondo Championship in
Bari
Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...
, Italy.
He competed at the
2020 Summer Paralympics - +75 kg, and was eliminated in the first round of the repechage match.
References
1989 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Van, Turkey
Paralympic taekwondo practitioners of Turkey
Turkish male taekwondo practitioners
Taekwondo practitioners at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
21st-century Turkish people
{{Turkey-taekwondo-bio-stub