Turkish national athlete Ümit Can Güreş has won a gold medal in the 50-meter butterfly category of the European Junior Swimming Championships.

Güreş, who was competing Wednesday on the first day of the championships held in northern Israel's Netanya, came first in the men's category with 23.72 seconds.

Another Turkish athlete Gülşen Beste Samancı finished fourth in the women's 50-meter breaststroke category with 31.73 seconds.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated Güreş for his victory, while Youth and Sports Minister Akif Çağatay Kılıç thanked the young athlete for representing Turkey at the highest level in the international arena.

The 2017 European Junior Swimming Championships will continue until June 2 at Netanya's Windgate Olympic pool. The championships feature various swimming categories such as freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke and backstroke.