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Kocaeli Celebrates a Historic Turkish Medal HaulTürkiye ended the 2026 European Para Swimming Championships with nine golds and seven silvers — 16 medals in total — and a place among the top six nations. Defne Kurt led the way with five golds from five events, during a championship that brought individual milestones and outstanding collective results for the host country.
Archive photograph of swimming practice at the Warrior Games in the United States in 2012.
Six Days at the Gebze PoolThe championships took place from 7 to 12 September at the Gebze Olympic Swimming Pool in Kocaeli province. It was the first major Para swimming championship hosted by Türkiye. The location is worth distinguishing: Kocaeli was the host province, while Gebze was the site of the pool where the races took place.
With many different events on the programme, following the results by day and athlete helps explain the national team’s campaign. The final total combines races across distances, strokes and sport classes. Its main milestones can be followed from the first gold through to the sixth day, rather than through the medal count alone.
An Opening Gold, Then Three More in a Single DayKurt opened Türkiye’s gold-medal account on the first day in the women’s 50m freestyle S10, on her European Championships debut. Umut Ünlü also won silver in the men’s 50m breaststroke SB2, giving the early medal list a range of athletes and strokes.
On 8 September, Türkiye won three golds, their most successful day in European Championships history at that point. Sevilay Öztürk won the women’s 50m backstroke S5 in 44.05 seconds, with 14-year-old Esra Yüce taking silver on her European debut. The podium brought an established Turkish champion and an emerging swimmer together in first and second place.
Kurt added the women’s 200m individual medley SM10 title in 2:27.30, while Turgut Aslan Yaraman won men’s 100m backstroke S8 gold. Türkiye therefore had four golds after two days, matching the number won across all their previous European Championships appearances combined.
Archive photograph of swimmers warming up at the Warrior Games in Colorado Springs in 2010.
Kurt and Yaraman on the Final DayKurt completed her programme with gold in the women’s 100m freestyle S10, clocking 59.37 seconds. It was her fifth gold from five events, each ending in first place. The achievement continued her international success following five world titles in Singapore in 2025.
Yaraman won the men’s 200m individual medley SM8 on the final day, finishing the championships with two golds and three silvers. Ünlü took silver in the men’s 200m freestyle S3 that same day. Keeping the distance, stroke and sport-class code alongside each athlete makes the meaning of every result clear.
| Athlete or team | Key result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Türkiye | 16 medals | 9 golds and 7 silvers; a top-six finish |
| Defne Kurt | 5 golds | 100m freestyle S10: 59.37 seconds |
| Turgut Aslan Yaraman | 2 golds and 3 silvers | 200m individual medley SM8 gold on the final day |
| Sevilay Öztürk | 50m backstroke S5 gold | 44.05 seconds |
| Esra Yüce | 50m backstroke S5 silver | European debut at the age of 14 |
What Do the Sport-Class Codes Mean?Para swimming uses sport classification to group competitors according to how their impairment affects swimming performance. The aim is to reduce the impact of impairment-related differences so that training, skill and sporting performance can determine the competition. A medical diagnosis alone does not explain the class in which an athlete competes.
The letter S is used for freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, while SB denotes breaststroke. SM applies to individual medley and is calculated from the swimmer’s classifications for the relevant strokes. An athlete may therefore have different codes in different events, reflecting the distinct demands of each stroke.
Physical-impairment classes include S1 through S10. The number concerns the functional effect of the impairment on swimming; it is not a ranking of talent or age. When comparing times, consider the distance, stroke and class together. A backstroke time cannot be compared directly with a freestyle time, and even races over the same distance require the class to be taken into account. This explains the multiple podiums at the championships and places each result in its sporting context.
Archive photograph of a swimmer beside the pool during the Warrior Games in the United States in 2010.
How Much Progress Did Türkiye Make?Türkiye’s previous best finish was 11th at Madeira 2024, before their top-six result in Kocaeli. Across the championships as a whole, ten world records and 17 European records were broken over six days. Those figures reflect the event’s competitive standard, while Türkiye’s medal haul and the athletes behind it provide a clear starting point for following the national team in future championships.
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