Swimmer Defne Kurt made history on the final day of the European Para Swimming Championship Saturday, winning the women’s 100-meter freestyle S10 to become the first Turkish athlete to capture five gold medals at a single European Championship.
Kurt touched the wall in 59.37 seconds at the Gebze Olympic Swimming Pool in Kocaeli province to secure her fifth gold medal of the competition, anchoring a standout performance for the host nation.
Speaking after her final, Kurt reflected on her historic campaign and outlined her focus moving forward.
"I saw my shortcomings in this race. It was actually an advantage for me in terms of knowing what to do and what not to do," Kurt said.
"Small details really matter in the 100 meters. So now I'm going to take a vacation, and after that I will continue working full steam ahead for the Olympics," she added.
Türkiye’s gold rush continued in the men’s 200-meter individual medley SM8 final, where Turgut Aslan Yaraman earned his second gold medal of the championship.
Yaraman took first place with a time of 2 minutes, 24.13 seconds to claim the final gold medal of the day for the hosts.
Yaraman acknowledged the physical and mental demands of competing across multiple events throughout the five-day tournament.
"The 200-meter medley was my target race," Yaraman said. "Especially with it being the final day, I had a very exhausting week. I had five races back-to-back, swimming heats and finals in all of them. I was a bit stressed, but I think I managed that stress well. It was truly perfect for me."
Umut Ünlü delivered Türkiye’s final medal of the competition, earning silver in the men’s 200-meter freestyle S3 final with a time of 3 minutes, 22.30 seconds.
Nine Turkish swimmers competed on the fifth and final day of action, bringing Türkiye’s overall tournament tally to 16 medals – nine gold and seven silver.
The Russian Federation finished atop the overall medal standings with 92 total medals, including 33 gold, 39 silver, and 20 bronze.
Italy placed second with 29 gold, 16 silver, and 16 bronze medals, while Ukraine claimed third place with 25 gold, 25 silver, and 23 bronze medals.