Nazim Erdem

Nazim Erdem, (born 1 August 1970) is an Australian wheelchair rugby Paralympic gold and silver medalist. He has won two gold and two silver medals at five Paralympics from 2000 to 2016.

Personal Nazim Erdem was born on 1 August 1970 in the Turkish city of Kayseri and later immigrated to Australia with his family. He became a quadriplegic at the age of 20 after diving off a pier into shallow water His ability to hold his breath for a long period of time saved his life as he was under water for two-and-a-half minutes before he was rescued. Erdem is also a sports ambassador for the TAFISA World Sport for All Games.

Wheelchair rugby

Classified as a 0.5-point player,

He was part of the national team at the 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, winning a silver medal with them at the 2000 and 2008 games and gold medals in 2012 and 2016. At the World Wheelchair Rugby Championships, he was a member of Steelers teams that won bronze in 2002, silver in 2010 and gold in 2014.

Erdem announced his retirement in December 2017 after playing 312 games over two decades for the Steelers. He indicated that he would spend more time with his family and his growing role at the Australian Quadriplegic Association.

Recognition In June 2012, Erdem was named the Hume Leaders senior sports star of the week. In October 2014, he and Lydia Lassila were joint winners of the Victorian Institute of Sport Gatorade Spirit Award. In 2016, Erdem was named the Hume Leader Senior Sports Star of the year.