Tuna Tunca
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2003 (age 21–22) İzmir, Turkey |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Club | İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyesi GSK |
Tuna Tunca (born 2003) is a Turkish long-distance swimmer. He was the first autistic swimmer from Turkey to cross the English Channel and the Strait of Gibraltar. [1]
Personal life
Tunca was born as the only child in İzmir, Turkey in 2003. His mother Gül Nur Tunca (born 1970),[2][3] a school teacher for English languag and later a student adviser, learned that her 2.5-year-old son had autism spectrum disorder (ASD).[1][3] Realizing that he loved water, his mother encouraged him to swim and took care of everything from his education to his sports.[3]
Sport career
Tunca started his swimming career at age three and half in his hometown.[4] He is a member of İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyesi GSK.[4]
Already in 2018, he competed at the Dardanelles Swim, an open water swimming event, and became the runner-up in the disabled swimmer category. He then took part three times at the Bosphorus Cross Continental Swim, and swam from the Greek island Chios to Çesme, in the mainland Turkey.[3][4] he was on the podium in his age category over the 5-kilometer distance in the Bodrum-Marmaris-Göcek Swim.[3]
Participating in the 2021 World Championships in Egypt, Tunca finished fourth in the 10-kilometer swim. He won the "Best Doubles Cup" with his coach Mert Onaran in the 36 km (22 mi)-long Capri-Naples Swim of the Ultra Marathon Swim Series.[3]
On 13 June 2025, he swam the 34 km (21 mi)-long English Channel between Samphire Hoe, England and Wissant, France in 13 hours and 26 minutes.[1][2]
He crossed the Strait of Gibraltar on 4 September 2025, entering the sea in Punta Marroqui at 9:27 in Spain, and after 5 hours and 32 minutes, he reached the Maroccan coast in Ziri. Rohan Crouse from England, Ariadna Moreno and Victor Gregori Barrera from Spain accompanied him during the swim.[1]
See also
- Bengisu Avcı (born 1996), Turkish female long-distance seimmer,
- Aysu Türkoğlu (born 2001), Turkish female long-distance swimmer,
- Ragıp Vural Tandoğan (born 1965), Turkish male long-distance swimmer.
References
- ^ a b c d Toprakçı, Haydar (4 September 2025). "Tuna Tunca, Cebelitarık Boğazı'nı geçen otizmli ilk Türk sporcu oldu". Anadolu News Agency (in Turkish). Retrieved 8 September 2025.
- ^ a b Güngör, Mustafa; Haydar Toprakçı (13 June 2025). "Tuna Tunca, Manş Denizi'ni geçen ilk otizmli Türk sporcu oldu". Anadolu News Agency (in Turkish). Retrieved 8 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Toprakçı, Haydar (10 May 2025). "Otizmli oğlu için işini bırakan anne, onu başarılı bir sporcuya dönüştürdü". Anadolu News Agency (in Turkish). Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ^ a b c Aydoğdu, Mehmet (4 September 2025). "Otizmli Ultra Maraton Yüzücüsü Tuna Tunca Kimdir, Nereli, Kaç Yaşında?". Gazete Merhaba (in Turkish). Retrieved 8 September 2025.