Turkish national swimmer Ali Şiroğlu, a talented athlete despite his autism, is determined to win at the upcoming Global Games, scheduled to take place in France.
Ali won numerous medals in international tournaments, including a gold medal at the VIRTUS European Summer Games in Krakow, Poland, last year.
His trainer, Ufuk Yoldaş, who has been working with Ali for ten years now, shared his thoughts on Ali's achievements and future goals. "Ali exceeded the participation threshold for the European championships only seven months after he started swimming. Our adventure continued intensely, and last year he represented the national team at the highest level in the European Summer Games held in Poland and won first place and third place in 100 butterflies and 200 medleys."
"Our current goal is to win a gold medal there and represent our country in the best possible way," Yoldaş added.
Despite struggling with forming sentences of two or three words when they first met, Ali has made significant progress under Yoldaş's guidance.
Yoldaş also shared his thoughts on Ali's mental development, saying, "He found himself by swimming. His mental development is positively affected by sports and social interaction."
Şiroğlu's family also supports his dreams and ambitions.
Yoldaş shared they try to improve his life by adding more activities.
"Now, we have started to cook at home slowly. He makes his toast every morning," Yoldaş said.
Speaking about his preparation for the upcoming championship, Şiroğlu said: "I love swimming, and I will be the first in the championship I am preparing for."
With hard work, determination and the support of his trainer and family, Ali is on his way to achieving great success in swimming and representing Türkiye at the highest level.
