Viktoriya Koyuncu, a Turkish deaf nationwide girls’s basketball group participant, has been an impressive supply of inspiration for aspiring athletes, owing to her steadfast dedication to excellence on the nationwide platform.
The 38-year-old Ukrainian-born Turkish basketballer, serving because the nationwide group’s second captain, lately shared her inspiring journey with an Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent, with the assistance of her Assistant Coach Burcu Pelister, highlighting her agency dedication to excel on the nationwide group.
Koyuncu, born with listening to loss, recounted how she met her husband Abdullah Koyuncu, a nationwide basketball participant and Istanbulspor coach, whom she married after settling in Türkiye.
“Years ago, we first met in Sofia, where Abdullah became infuriated and disheartened during a match, throwing the ball upwards. I admonished him not to do that, marking our first encounter. Türkiye lost the match, and we came in second with the Ukrainian national team at the Deaflympics in Sofia. A year later, while having difficulty communicating with a deaf athlete via international sign language, Abdullah came to our aid and acted as an interpreter. After that, our communication continued, culminating in our marriage,” she stated.
Despite her familial obligations because the mom of an 8-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son, Koyuncu stays a formidable participant, recurrently coaching with Pelister, choosing up her children from faculty and ferrying them to karate observe, and later gathering together with her household for dinner.
Koyuncu, who can hear solely loud sounds with the help of a tool, famous that she has performed basketball in Türkiye for 3 years since getting married, competing with the Turkish National Team in Italy and Brazil, with a forthcoming occasion in Greece this 12 months.
Özlem Şencan, head coach of the Women’s Deaf Basketball Team, praised Koyuncu as a really skilled participant who not solely captains the group but in addition whose expertise is an asset to the group.
The group is presently engaged in camp coaching for the world championship, with Koyuncu expressing her happiness at residing and enjoying in Türkiye and the heat and supportiveness of the Turkish athletes, which has fostered a pleasant and cordial environment.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
