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Türkiye’s para-swimming team returned home from Singapore on Monday with more than medals in their luggage – they carried history, pride and a promise of greater days ahead.
Team Türkiye capped the World Para Swimming Championships with a landmark performance, collecting 10 medals – five gold, one silver and four bronze – to finish 12th among 73 nations.
At Istanbul Airport, federation officials, families and supporters showered the swimmers with flowers, applause and national pride.
Defne Kurt makes history
The championships will be remembered above all for Defne Kurt, who etched her name into Turkish sporting lore.
The 22-year-old became the first Turkish para-swimmer to win five gold medals at a single world championship, sweeping the 50m and 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 100m backstroke and 200m individual medley.
For Kurt, the triumph carried a personal echo. A decade ago, as a junior, she left Singapore without a medal. This time, she rewrote the ending.
“In 2015, I felt I had unfinished business here,” Kurt said. “I never imagined five golds. But after my first win, I believed the others were possible – and I went for them.”
A coach’s pride, an Olympic vision
Coach Renin Gemicioğlu Oyeniyi could hardly contain her emotions as she hailed both Kurt’s rise and the team’s collective success.
“I’m incredibly proud,” Oyeniyi said. “Defne began training just two months ago for this event, yet she showed the world her enormous potential. This is only the beginning. The Olympics are our ultimate goal and I believe she will shine even brighter on that stage.”
Oyeniyi also credited the federation president and staff for consistent support, adding: “Without them, this dream would not have been possible.”
Umut Ünlü’s breakthrough
The medal rush wasn’t Kurt’s alone.
Veteran swimmer Umut Ünlü won his first World Championship medal, a bronze, to add to his two Paralympic podium finishes.
“I’m thrilled,” Ünlü said. “It’s my second world championship and to finally win a medal here means everything. Defne’s success motivates all of us. Together, we’re already thinking of Los Angeles 2028.”
A rising force
Türkiye’s para-swimming program has quietly gathered momentum in recent years, but Singapore marked a breakthrough on the world stage.
The team’s mix of emerging stars like Kurt and experienced leaders like Ünlü points to a deepening talent pool.
With the 2026 European Championships on the horizon and the 2028 Paralympics in sight, Türkiye now appears poised to challenge the sport’s traditional powers.
