---
title: Umut Ünlü
slug: umut-unlu-4d503
url: /detay/umut-unlu-4d503
type: biography
language: English
entity:
  primary: Umut Ünlü
  type: biography
  disambiguation: Umut Ünlü: Paralympic swimming champion, defying disability. Two gold medals, Paris 2024!
  categories:
    - name: Sport
      slug: spor
      url: /kategori/spor
  tags:
    - Swimming
    - athlete
    - Paralympic
    - ParalympicSwimming
    - S3Category
    - ParaSports
    - NationalAthlete
    - TurkishAthlete
    - ParalympicGames
    - EuropeanChampionship
    - AthleteOfTheYear
    - Paris2024
    - UmutÜnlü
    - Olympics
author: Tuba Akalın
created_at: 2025-05-20T22:08:52.052492+03:00
updated_at: 2025-06-06T01:00:10.075996+03:00
image: https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/05/20/nLFQfwULvneQkyondcJBuskd031aIC2Y.jpg
---

# Umut Ünlü

> Umut Ünlü was born on July 28, 2001, in the Gevaş district of Van. Born without hands and feet, Ünlü also has fused vocal cords. Representing Türkiye in the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games, he won gold medals in the 50-meter freestyle S3 and 200-meter freestyle categories. With this achievement, he became the first Turkish athlete to win two gold medals in the same Paralympic Games.

<!-- CONTEXT: KURE Information Cards for "Umut Ünlü" -->

## KURE Information Cards

### KURE Information Card: Umut Ünlü

![UMUT-UNLU-2048x2048.jpg](https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/05/24/pBUgzX0VeIpp9p5iIs9EZcOJ4fybeTPO.jpg)

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Place of Birth(Text) | Gevaş, Türkiye |
| Date of Birth(Text) | July 28, 2001 |
| Gold Medals | 2024 Paris Paralympic Games – 200 m Freestyle (S3),2024 Paris Paralympic Games – 50 m Freestyle (S3) |
| Bronze Medals | 2024 European Para Swimming Championships – 150 m Individual Medley (SM3),2024 European Para Swimming Championships – 200 m Freestyle (S3) |
| Awards and Honors | Best Male Athlete of the Year (2024) |
| Age | 23 |

<!-- CONTEXT: Article Content for "Umut Ünlü" -->

## Article Content

Umut Ünlü’s life has been shaped by his determination to continue his education and pursue sports despite his congenital physical disabilities. The absence of his hands and feet, along with his fused vocal cords, brought various challenges in the early stages of his life. However, the process that began with his family's support and relocation to Istanbul at an early age laid the groundwork for his continued education and the establishment of future goals. Ünlü completed his primary and secondary education in Esenyurt, Istanbul. He earned a university degree in Business Administration and later continued his studies with a focus on specialization in physical education.

### **Early Life and Education**

Umut Ünlü was born on July 28, 2001, in the Gevaş district of Van. Born without hands and feet, Ünlü also has fused vocal cords. Due to health-related issues, his family moved to Istanbul when he was two years old. He completed his primary and secondary education in Esenyurt. He graduated from the Department of Business Administration at Kültür University and is currently continuing his education in the Department of Physical Education at Rumeli University.

### **Sports Career**

He began [swimming](/en/detay/swimming-sport-3bfef/llms.txt) in 2020 and achieved rankings in various national tournaments. Competing in the S3 classification, he represented Türkiye at the [2024 Summer Paralympic Games](/en/detay/umut-unlu-b12c9/llms.txt) held in Paris.

In this event, he won gold medals in the 50-meter freestyle S3 and 200-meter freestyle categories, becoming the first Turkish athlete to win two gold medals in the same Paralympic Games.

### **Achievements**

| 2024 Paris Paralympic Games | 50 m Freestyle S3 | Gold |
| 2024 Paris Paralympic Games | 200 m Freestyle S3 | Gold |
| 2024 European Para Swimming Championships | 200 m Freestyle S3 | Bronze |
| 2024 European Para Swimming Championships | 150 m Individual Medley SM3 | Bronze |

### **Awards and Honors**

In 2024, he was honored with the “Best Male Athlete of the Year” award by the European Paralympic Committee.

### **Club Career**

In 2024, Ünlü joined [Galatasaray Sports Club](/en/detay/galatasaray-sports-club-f5992/llms.txt) and continues his athletic career there.

<!-- CONTEXT: Academic Sources and References for "Umut Ünlü" -->

## Academic Sources and References

1. NTV Spor. “Umut Ünlü Kimdir, Kaç Yaşında, Başarıları Neler? Milli Sporcu Paralimpik Oyunları’nda Altın Madalya Kazandı.” ntvspor.net. 13 Şubat 2024. https://www.ntvspor.net/olimpiyat/umut-unlu-kimdir-kac-yasinda-basarilari-neler-milli-sporcu-paralimpik-oyunlari-nda-altin-madalya-kazandi-66db4e63f3d057042f45acf6
2. Oxu.az. “Avrupa’da Yılın Sporcusu – Umut Ünlü.” oxu.az. 13 Şubat 2024. https://oxu.az/tr/spor/avrupa-da-yilin-sporcusu-umut-unlu
3. Türkiye Milli Paralimpik Komitesi. “Umut Ünlü.” tmpk.org.tr. Erişim 14 Mayıs 2025. https://www.tmpk.org.tr/sporcular/umut-unlu/