Achievements
Milestones from a 22-year sporting journey shaped by determination, discipline and belief…
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TITLES AND PIONEERING FIRSTS
★First Deaf Turkish Cyclist to Ride Across the Black Sea Region
First Deaf Turkish Cyclist to Compete at the Deaflympics
National Team Captain
2025 Turkish Road Cycling Individual Time Trial Champion
The Only Deaf Turkish Cyclist to Have Competed at Three Deaflympics
Social Studies Teacher
FATİH Project YEĞİTEK School Coordinator / IT Coordinator
A Goal Was Born
Throughout high school, I had never achieved notable academic success or even received a certificate of merit. My family's promise of a bicycle became the motivation that changed the direction of my life. I worked harder for that goal, earned my first certificate of distinction and then passed the university entrance exam on my first attempt.
At the time, I could not have known that a journey begun with the simple dream of owning a bicycle would one day carry me into the national jersey and on to the Deaflympics.
University and the Beginning of My Life with Cycling
Zonguldak Karaelmas University, Ereğli Faculty of Education
These were the years when, rather than merely walking towards my dreams, I seemed to run after them with passion and excitement despite every criticism and obstacle. When I entered university, cycling became an indispensable part of my life.
My First Cycling Licence
The Beginning of My Official Sporting Career
By receiving my first official cycling licence, I took the first recorded step in a sporting career that would eventually lead to the national jersey and three Deaflympics.
My First Official Race
2nd International Manavgat Mountain Bike Marathon
For the first time, I stood on the start line of an official race. Although I have no photograph from the event, that beginning in Manavgat remains in my archive as the unforgettable first race of my sporting life.
My First Organisation
Ereğli Faculty of Education Cycling Club
Through the cycling club we established at the university, we brought dozens of students together around a shared purpose. We organised our first rides using four bicycles supplied by the rectorate, while I personally provided the yellow high-visibility vests.
The club grew to around 50–60 members, but the limited number of bicycles meant I could take no more than four students on each ride.
Cycling for Life Conference
The conference we organised at Zonguldak Karaelmas University's Ereğli Faculty of Education brought together students, academics, cycling associations and cycling enthusiasts.
Its purpose was to share knowledge about the importance of bicycles in everyday life and during natural disasters, while raising public awareness.
A Step Forward for Cycling in Bafra
Bafra Branch of the Cyclists' Association
To help cycling culture grow in Bafra, where I was born and raised, I established the Bafra branch of the Cyclists' Association. This photograph beside the Kızılırmak River is one of my most treasured surviving memories from that period.
Turkish Deaf Cycling Community
The Foundation and the First Major Step
In November 2010, I founded the Turkish Deaf Cycling Community, bringing deaf cyclists together under one shared organisation.
The community eventually grew to 92 volunteer cyclists and became an important milestone for solidarity, visibility and the development of deaf cycling.
Hearing Hearts Panel
Organisation and Public Awareness
I organised the “Hearing Hearts” panel at Zonguldak Karaelmas University's Ereğli Faculty of Education. Alongside my sporting journey, it became one of my most important efforts to raise awareness of disability and bring people together around a shared idea.
Pedalling Across the Black Sea Region
First Deaf Turkish Cyclist to Ride Across the Black Sea Region
This became an important milestone in which I lived my love of cycling not simply as a sport, but as a journey of awareness, solidarity and courage.
The journey showed that the dream I had formed years earlier had grown into a far greater purpose.
Federation Meeting to Establish the Cycling Discipline
The Turning Point That Opened the Road to the Deaflympics
I met Osman Arslan, President of the Turkish Deaf Sports Federation, in his office and asked for support in establishing cycling for deaf athletes. He promised that the discipline would be opened, clearing the way for deaf Turkish cyclists to compete for the first time at the Sofia Deaflympics later that year.
As no photograph of the meeting exists, the event is presented through its official archive record and date.
Sofia Deaflympics
Representing Türkiye in Deaflympics Cycling for the First Time
As the first deaf Turkish cyclist to represent Türkiye in cycling at the Deaflympics, I experienced one of the defining milestones of my sporting life.
The goal I had set years earlier became reality at an international event in the national jersey.
Samsun Deaflympics
23rd Summer Deaflympics · Captain of the Turkish National Team
At the Deaflympics hosted by Türkiye in Samsun, I proudly represented my country and the crescent-and-star jersey as national team captain.
- Individual Time Trial (ITT)28.
- Mountain Bike (MTB)21.
- Points Road Race30.
The National Team in the Media
Before the Samsun Deaflympics, I appeared in the media as national team captain to discuss our preparations and goals and to invite the public to the Games.
TRT SPOR · ACCESSIBLE SPORT
Alanya National Team Camp
A TRT Spor “Accessible Sport” feature filmed with our national cycling team during preparations for the Samsun Deaflympics.
SAMSUN 2017 PROMOTION
We Look Forward to Welcoming You to the Games
In a promotional interview before the Deaflympics, I delivered our invitation to the Games on behalf of the cycling team as national team captain.
The Road to the World Championships
A difficult national team chapter that began with the pride of selection and ended with missing the championships because of an unfortunate injury.
Selected for the National Team Camp
In 38°C heat in Gaziantep, I completed the 90-kilometre national team selection race in 3 hours 20 minutes and earned a place at the World Championships preparation camp.
An Unfortunate Crash and a Missed Championship
During sprint training at the national team camp in Kayseri Erciyes, my foot came out of the pedal and I crashed heavily. Despite trying to recover for five days, the injury did not improve. I had to leave the camp and abandon my goal of competing at the World Championships.
A New Federation Era
Konya Training Centre
As deaf cycling was transferred to the Turkish Cycling Federation, I took part in the first training camp of the new era alongside athletes from several para disciplines.
Mardin MTB Cup
Silver Medal and Fair Play Award
I finished second in a race held at an altitude of roughly 1,100 metres with 120 competitors. My performance was also recognised with the Fair Play Award.
Alanya MTB Cup C1
Bronze in the First Race of the Season
At the season opener, which drew around 300 athletes, I raced without an opportunity to inspect the course beforehand. Despite a rear puncture on the second lap, I kept fighting and finished third.
Ankara MTB Cup
Consistency Throughout the Season
I finished third at the Ankara MTB Cup, which featured around 255 athletes, earning my second bronze medal of the season.
Mustafa AYYORKUN Turkish Championships
One of the most special milestones in my 22-year sporting journey.
Turkish Individual Time Trial Champion
I won the individual time trial in Çumra, Konya, to become Turkish Champion. It was the first victory of my nearly 22-year sporting career and earned me the national champion's jersey for the following year.
60 km Road Race · Third in Türkiye
On the second day in Karatay, Konya, I remained with the lead group throughout the road race. Unable to produce the sprint I wanted in the final 100 metres, I finished third by half a second and won bronze.
ALANYA · FINAL NATIONAL TEAM CAMP BEFORE TOKYO
Measuring Two and a Half Years of Preparation
Over roughly two and a half years on the road to the Tokyo Deaflympics, I devoted substantial personal resources to an intensive preparation programme carried out largely through my own means. About a week before leaving for Tokyo, a training session on the first day of the final national team camp in Alanya clearly demonstrated the highest performance level of my 22-year sporting career.
Compared with the same sections of road during the 2017 Samsun Deaflympics preparation camp, I improved across all twelve segments. Some gains were measured in seconds, while others exceeded three minutes. The figures provide a measurable record of the work and personal discipline behind my journey to Tokyo.
View the Strava activity ↗Performance Development, 2017–2025
| Segment | Time Gained |
|---|---|
| Dim River – Mahmutlar (Kustweg) | 32 seconds |
| Dim Bridge - Kargıcak Bridge | 72 seconds |
| D400 Segment 1 (JBNCC) | 2 seconds |
| Kestel – Yeşilöz | 3 minutes 15 seconds |
| D400 Segment 2 (JBNCC) | 23 seconds |
| Mahmutlar – Kargıcak | 28 seconds |
| Mhmlr CrRoad | 2 minutes 11 seconds |
| Atlanta to İmamlı | 1 minute 27 seconds |
| Utopia Climb | 7 seconds |
| Utover til Demirtas | 1 minute 1 second |
| Seki Yeşilöz TT | 55 seconds |
| Master of the wind | 2 seconds |
Note: The left column shows my best results from the three-month national team camp held in Alanya in 2017. The right column shows the results recorded on the same roads during the first day of the final national team camp before the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics.
Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics
My third Deaflympics journey: a story of sport and life stretching from preparation and race day to the official start announcement and my welcome home in Ordu.
Preparation→Journey→Tokyo→Race→Welcome Home
Shoulder to Shoulder on the Road to the Deaflympics
The Deaflympics National Teams Coordination and Motivation Meeting held before Tokyo marked one of the official beginnings of my third Games journey. United with national team athletes around a common goal, we made a strong start to the final stage of preparation.
From Türkiye to Tokyo
With the national jersey, my team-mates and years of work behind us, the journey to Tokyo began. Receiving my accreditation marked the official start of my third Deaflympics experience.
The Deaflympics Atmosphere and Race Preparation
A new country, a different culture and athletes from around the world… In the days before racing, I completed the final preparations on my bicycle and became familiar with the course and the event environment.
My Third Deaflympics Start
After Sofia 2013 and Samsun 2017, I took a Deaflympics start for the third time. Beyond any result, racing in the national jersey was the international expression of years of work and determination.
OFFICIAL BROADCAST RECORDING
Tokyo 2025 – Official Start Announcement
The special moment when my name and sporting background were announced in Japanese on the start line.
RETURN TO ORDU
Airport Welcome and Interview
On my return from the Tokyo Deaflympics, I was welcomed at Ordu–Giresun Airport with flowers by the President of the Triatlordu Cycling Group, Dr. Hikmet YAKA and board members Dr Hakan HACISALİHOĞLU, Erim KADIOĞLU and Ercan KESKİN. In the interview that followed, we reflected on my three Deaflympics experiences, my sporting career and my future goals. This meaningful welcome brought my Tokyo journey to an unforgettable close.
THREE DEAFLYMPICS · ONE LONG JOURNEY
Pedalling in Pursuit of a Dream…
On the cycling journey I began in 2004, I worked through my own means, with the support of my family and my own determination, without the continuity of a permanent club, a long-term coach or sponsorship. That journey gave me the honour of representing Türkiye at the Sofia 2013, Samsun 2017 and Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics.
The road from Sofia to Samsun and from Samsun to Tokyo was about far more than races. It was a story of patience, discipline, refusing to give up and twenty-two years of work. This website is the digital archive of that journey.