Tuna Tunca
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2003 (age 22–23) 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] As of July 2026, he completed three legs of the Oceans Seven challenge.[2]
Personal life
Tunca was born as his parents' only child in İzmir, Turkey in 2003. His mother Gül Nur Tunca (born 1970),[3][4] an English teacher and later a student adviser, learned that her 2.5-year-old son had autism spectrum disorder (ASD).[1][4] Realizing that he loved water, his mother encouraged him to swim and took care of everything from his education to his sports.[4]
Sport career
Tunca started his swimming career at age three in his hometown.[5] He is a member of İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyesi GSK.[5]
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 mainland Turkey.[4][5] He was on the podium in his age category over the 5-kilometer distance in the Bodrum-Marmaris-Göcek Swim.[4]
Participating in the 2021 World Championship 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.[4]
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][3]
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]
On 25 July 2026, he crossed the around 40 km (25 mi)-long North Channel between Ireland and Great Britain as his third event of the Oceans Seven series. He entered the 14 °C-cold ocean in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland and swam towards Portpatrick, Scotland completing the swim in 16 hours.[2][6] He was escorted by his coach Mert Onaran and his mother Gül Nur Tunca.[6]
Donaghadee
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
- 1 2 3 4 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.
- 1 2 "Otizmli Türk yüzücü Tuna Tunca, Kuzey Kanalı'nı geçti". NTV (in Turkish). 25 July 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- 1 2 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.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 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.
- 1 2 3 Aydoğdu, Mehmet (4 September 2025). "Otizmli Ultra Maraton Yüzücüsü Tuna Tunca Kimdir, Nereli, Kaç Yaşında?". Gazete Merhaba (in Turkish). Retrieved 8 September 2025.
- 1 2 "Otizmli ultra maraton yüzücüsü Tuna Tunca, Kuzey Kanalı'nı geçti". beIN Sport (in Turkish). 25 July 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.