| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's archery | ||
| Competitor for Turkey | ||
| Paralympic Games | ||
| Gold | 2008 Beijing | |
Gizem Girişmen (born November 24, 1981[1] in Ankara, Turkey), is a Turkish disabled female archer.[2]
In 1992, at the age of eleven, she was paralyzed following a traffic accident. After all, she completed her education with honors in business administration from the Bilkent University in 2004. In the same year, she was invited to an archery competition where she got interested and decided soon to practice that sport. She practiced in the basement garage of her apartment building, with the permission of the neighbors.
Only 2 years of practice and competition experience in national tournaments, Gizem Girişmen had 3rd place (ARW2 Recurve Female) at 2006 EPC Archery European Championships held in Czech Republic which was her first intertanional tournament.
Following year, She got the 1st Place (FITA Round) at 2007 IPC Archery World Championships in Cheongju, South Korea.
And in the same year, She also won 1st Place in the 2007 Czech Republic International Archery Tournament.
In 2008, she got Second in the European Disabled Archery Grand Prix held between July 12–18, 2008 in the United Kingdom.
Then, She represented Turkey at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in the category of individual recurve W1/W2 and Won the Gold Medal by defeating her Chinese rival Fu Hongzhi.[3]
(Torch bearer of 2008 Olympic Games)
Finally in August 2009, She confirmed her World Champion status by Winning The GOLD at the Para-Archery World Championships. (Nymburk, Czech Republic)
(Athlete of the Month (August 2009) by IPC.)
She has been ranked Number One Archer in the World for Women's Ind. Recurve-W1/W2 since 2007.
Girişmen was nominated as the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year and she is the first Turkish sportsperson who has been nominated to this award.,[4][5]
Gizem Girişmen is also The Turkish Record Holder of 30-50-60-70 meters, FITA, 70 mt round and Olymp R Match for ARW2 Female category.
Besides Turkish, she can speak English, French and İtalian.[6]