Abdullah Kayapınar targets Paralympic gold and a record in 2028

Thirty-four-year-old Abdullah Kayapınar trains six days a week, four hours a day, to win gold at the 2028 Paralympic Games. Kayapınar, who won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, said the only missing achievement in his career is a Paralympic title.

Scraper SystemSeptember 06, 2026, 11:09 AM

Abdullah Kayapınar targets Paralympic gold and a record in 2028

Thirty-four-year-old Abdullah Kayapınar, known as the "Little Hercules" because of his height, is targeting a gold medal at the 2028 Paralympic Games. Kayapınar trains six days a week, four hours a day, in pursuit of this goal.

Kayapınar, who has won Turkish, European and world championships, took the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. The national team athlete, who missed the title by 1 kilogram, said he has approximately 100 medals in his career.

He discovered weightlifting while working as a waiter

Kayapınar began weightlifting in 2014 on the recommendation of his coach, Mehmet Semih Ceylan, while working as a waiter at a restaurant. Continuing to train under Ceylan, the athlete said there was no obstacle to achieving success.

Kayapınar said he had won Turkish, European and world championships, adding that he narrowly missed becoming an Olympic champion and finished second. The athlete said he wanted to see himself at the top alongside figures such as Hamza Yerlikaya, Taha Akgül and Naim Süleymanoğlu.

He is targeting a record and gold

Continuing his intensive training program, Kayapınar said he was focused on improving himself through hard work and lifting heavy weights. The athlete said he would continue working without giving up.

Kayapınar said he competed in Paris with the goal of winning the title but took the silver medal, adding that he wanted to win gold by breaking a record in 2028. He also said he was targeting a world record and gold medal at the world championships to be held in Bahrain in November.

Ceylan: The only thing missing is a Paralympic title

Mehmet Semih Ceylan, coach of Türkiye's national weightlifting team for athletes with disabilities, said Kayapınar missed the title in Paris by 1 kilogram. Ceylan said they were continuing their work without a break and were targeting the title in 2028.

Ceylan said Kayapınar won the world championships held in Egypt and finished first after breaking a record at the European Championships held in Tbilisi in March. Ceylan said the only missing medal in Kayapınar's career was a Paralympic title and that he believed they would achieve this goal in 2028.

Ceylan said Kayapınar set an example for athletes through his sporting discipline and way of life, and called on families with children with disabilities to direct their children toward sports. Ceylan said sport could help children stay connected to life.

Abdullah Kayapınar targets Paralympic gold and a record in 2028