Courtesy of Doug Woodring, Istanbul Strait, Turkey.
The Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim (Samsung Bosphorus Cross Continental Swimming Race or the Samsung Boğazıçi Kitalararasi Yarislari or Samsung Boğaziçi Kıtalararası Yüzme Yarışı) is one of the World’s Top 100 Open Water Swims and the Top 50 Open Water Swims In Asia.
Its 6.5 km course crosses the Istanbul Strait that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara in Turkey, enabling its participants to claim they swam between Asia and Europe. The course is from Kanlica on the Asian side of the Bosphorus to Kuruçesme on the European side of the Bosphorus.
Top 10 Men’s Results:
1. Evgeny Eliseev (Russian) 50:58
2. Doğukan Ulaç (Northern Cyprus) 52:21
3. Erge Can Gezmis (Turkey) 52:23
4. Atrur Artamonov (Russia) 52:46
5. Mehmet Kaan Nesiray (Turkey) 53:31
6. Denizhan Dagdelen (Turkey) 54:05
7. Ömer Tara (Turkey) 55:24
8. Bertug Coskun (Turkey) 55:30
9. Andrey Volkov (Russia) 55:36
10. Efe Erduran (Turkey) 55:51
Top 10 Women’s Results:
1. Kristina Kochetkova (Russia) 54:57
2. Nilay Erkal (Turkey) 55:01
3. Buse Topcu (Turkey) 55:08
4. Lexie Kelly (USA) 55:37
5. Zeynep Taylar (Turkey) 58:10
6. Nathalie Pohl (Germany) 58:12
7. Marina Vitko (Russia) 59:48
8. Bige Vardar (Turkey) 1:00:25
9. Melda Idrisoglu (Turkey) 1:01:00
10. Michelle Macy (USA) 1:01:47
In a nod to the breathe of individuals who attempted the crossing, Turkish swimmers Levent Aksüt (born 1930) and Rabia Sevil Gemicioglu (born 1947) were the oldest swimmers (87 and 70 years, respectively) who finished the 6.5 km Samsung Bosphorus Cross Continental Swimming Race (in 1 hour 56 minutes and 1 hour 33 minutes, respectively).
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