Turkish swimmer successfully crosses English Channel

Enver Alas - ISTANBUL

A professional swimmer has managed to fulfill her greatest dream by becoming the fifth Turkish woman to successfully cross the English Channel.

On July 20, national swimmer Deniz Kayadelen set off from the shores of Samphire Hoe in Dover at midnight to cross the English Channel between England and France.

Kayadelen managed to swim for a total of 15 hours and eight minutes in freezing sea waters with a temperature reaching only 16 degrees Celsius, and reached Strouanne beach on the coast of France, making her the fifth Turkish woman and the 17th person to cross the channel in general.

The swimmer was accompanied on her quest across the English Channel by her coach Kamil Resa Alsaran and another swimmer Emre Deliveli, who had both successfully completed the arduous course before.

The thought of quitting has crossed her mind several times as she struggled greatly during the 15-hour marathon, she told local media.

“My hands and feet went numb in the third hour of swimming, I ran out of energy in the fourth hour, and I even thought of quitting around the 10th hour. I asked my coach if I could really do this.”

Despite the 15-hour-long stretch and the painful moments in between, the swimmer successfully arrived at the coast of France to unfurl the Turkish flag “with great pride.”

According to her coach, Kamil Resa Alsaran, who has crossed the English Channel twice, Kayadelen had been preparing for this quest for almost three years, and Alsaran has supported the ambitious and determined athlete during every moment of her strenuous journey.

“Long-distance crossings in especially bad weather conditions cause many problems. Her hip, back, throat and shoulders were all sore, but she endured the pain with the help of medication. Nothing could have stopped her from achieving this,” Alsaran added.