Raziye Uluçam Is Striving For Gold At The Upcoming 2024 Paralympics

Raziye Uluçam, a decorated judoka from Turkey, recently earned a silver medal at the IBSA World Visually Impaired Judo Championship held in Azerbaijan. Now, the impressive athlete has her sights set on achieving the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. And, there’s no doubt Uluçam is ready for the challenge. Specifically, Uluçam came second place in the championship’s J2 category at 70 kilograms.

A highly-competitive competition

Uluçam has been successfully participating in paralympic judo for at least for years now. She stuck to a comprehensive training regime in preparation for the recent championships, and, although she didn’t secure the gold medal, Uluçam is ultimately proud of her performance. In fact, Uluçam was the sole judoka on the podium who had yet to win a Paralympic medal – she did exceptionally well in a highly-competitive tournament. "We were so close to glory at the world championship. Nasip was the runner-up. Our opponent was the reigning world champion”, Uluçam commented on her performance. “We made it to the overtime, but despite our tactical astuteness, factors such as exhaustion had their say, and we had to settle for a second-place finish”.

Uluçam doesn’t let her disability hold her back

Uluçam, now 40 years old, lost much of her vision (as much as around 60%) following an illness during her childhood. Nevertheless, she didn’t let her visual impairment hamper her lifelong passion for judo – in fact, it only motivated her to keep going and hone her skills. Now as she trains for the upcoming Paralympics, Uluçam’s hard work has certainly paid off, and serves as inspiration for other people with disabilities interested in taking up the sport. Indeed, with practice and perseverance, people with disabilities can be just as good at judo as those without disabilities. Moreover, in addition to judo, a number of sports can be made accessible, so people with disabilities can participate. Swimming, cycling, and golf, for example, are popular individual accessible sports, while sit basketball, wheelchair tennis, and wheelchair rugby are great options for those looking to join a team. 

Striving for gold

Moreover, Uluçam sees the World Visually Impaired Judo Championship as crucial training in the lead up to the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. “My ambition is to put my best foot forward and come out of the Paralympics with a gold medal draped around my neck” said Uluçam as she now starts preparing for the Paralympics. “To make that vision a reality, we need to put in the hard work, and the federation will guide us. I can't wait to take on these exciting challenges.”

Ultimately, Uluçam admits she did have her sights set on the gold medal at the World Visually Impaired Judo Championship, but she’s accepted it simply wasn’t to be. “We train hard every day of the week, and have a rigorous practice regimen”, said Uluçam. “Now, however, our sights are set on the gold medal at the Paris Paralympics. We have the hall and facilities to make it possible."