A first for Bengisu Avcı at the European Ice Swimming Championships!

Ultra-marathon swimmer Bengisu Avcı achieved a third-place finish at the European Ice Swimming Championships held in Romania.

In her statement to the press, Avcı noted that athletes from 27 countries participated in the championship. Explaining that she competed in the 50-meter butterfly and 50-meter breaststroke categories, Bengisu Avcı said, "After the age-group medals, I qualified for the final and brought a European third-place finish to my country. We have won a European medal in this discipline for the first time. I put in a lot of effort; even when there were storms or rain in the sea during the winter, I continued to train."

'IT IS VERY DANGEROUS IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED'

Stating that the air temperature in Romania was between 1 and 3 degrees Celsius and the pool temperature was 4 degrees, Avcı continued as follows:

"Our hands hurt while swimming, and our jaws ache. You have to work very hard to get used to the cold; while normal training pools are 25 degrees, we have to perform at the same level in 3-4 degrees in this discipline. It is very dangerous if you are not mentally and physically prepared. This month, I will also participate in the 'Cook Strait' course in New Zealand and the World Ice Swimming Championships to be held in Tallinn in March. An intense season awaits. The competition rules are different from normal swimming; since the water is very cold, we start from inside the water instead of diving. We cannot do flip turns or swim underwater, our hands are wet, there are wooden ladders to prevent icing, and we undergo detailed health checks."

Ultra-marathon swimmer Bengisu Avcı, who is the fastest Turkish woman to swim across the English Channel between England and France, added that she also thanked her teammates who supported her during this process.