Merve Tuncel (born 1 January 2005) is a Turkish swimmer specialized in the freestyle swimming. She qualified for the 800m and 1500m freestyle events of the 2020 Summer Olympics. She is a member of Enka SK.[1][2]

Merve Tuncel
Personal information
Born (2005-01-01) 1 January 2005 (age 19)
Ankara, Turkey
Height165
Weight55
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubEnka SK
CoachGjon Shyti
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing  Turkey
Senior level
European Championships (LC)
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Rome 800 m freestyle
Islamic Solidarity Games
Gold medal – first place 2021 Konya 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2021 Konya 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2021 Konya 800 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2021 Konya 1500 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2021 Konya 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2021 Konya 4×200 m freestyle
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Oran 800 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Oran 200 m butterfly
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Oran 4×200 m freestyle
Youth level
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Lima 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2022 Lima 800 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2022 Lima 1500 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Lima 4×200 m freestyle
European Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 Rome 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2021 Rome 800 m freestyle CR, EJR
Gold medal – first place 2021 Rome 1500 m freestyle CR, EJR
Gold medal – first place 2022 Otopeni 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2022 Otopeni 800 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2022 Otopeni 1500 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2023 Belgrade 800 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2023 Belgrade 1500 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2023 Belgrade 400 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Rome 4×200 m freestyle relay
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Otopeni 200 m freestyle
European Youth Summer Olympic Festival
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Baku 800 m freestyle

Early years

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Merve Tuncel was born to Sulhi and Adalet Tuncel in Ankara, Turkey on 1 January 2005.[1][3] She is a student at Nermin Mehmet Çekiç Anatolian High School in Yenimahalle, Ankara.[4]

She liked to play with water in her very early youth years. She started swimming at Age 4[5] At age ten, she started to swim at the Turkey Olympic Preparation Center in Eryaman, Ankara under the Head Coach Gjon Shyti. From 2019 she swims for Enka SK, but her coach is still Gjon Shyti and she continues training in Ankara.[5]

Swimming career

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Tuncel won the silver medal in the 200m butterfly,[6] and the bronze medal in the 800m freestyle at the 2019 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan. She broke the juniors world record at Istanbul, Turkey on 22 December 2020 in the short course 1500m freestyle swimming event with 15:45.29.[7] She won gold medals in the events 400 m, 800 m, 1500 m, and the bronze medal in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay event of the 2021 European Junior Swimming Championships in Rome, Italy.[8] She set new championships record and European Juniors record with her times 8:21.91 in 800 m freestyle,[9] and 15:55.23 in 1500 m freestyle.[10]

Tuncel was the flag bearer for Turkey together with Berke Saka at the 2020 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.[11]

Summary (2019-July 2023)

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Event Gold Silver Bronze Total
2019 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival 0 0 1 1
2021 European Junior Swimming Championships 3 0 1 4
2022 European Junior Swimming Championships 3 0 1 4
2023 European Junior Swimming Championships 2 1 0 3
2022 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 3 0 1 4
Swimming at the 2022 Mediterranean Games 1 0 2 3
Swimming at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games 6 0 0 6
2022 European Aquatics Championships 0 0 1 1
Total 18 1 7 26

References

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  1. ^ a b "Merve Tuncel" (in Turkish). Türk Sporu. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Merve Tuncel olimpiyat A barajını geçti". TRT Spor (in Turkish). 26 December 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Milli Gururumuz Merve Tuncel'i Tebrik Ederiz" (in Turkish). Türk Tarım Orman - Sen. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Şampiyon yüzücümüz, öğrencimiz Merve TUNCEL 'den bir kupa daha..." (in Turkish). Ankara Yenimahalle Nermin Mehmet Çekiç Anadolu Lisesi. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Göğsümüzü kabartan Merve Tuncel Hürriyet'e konuştu... Kovadan çıktı rekorlar kırdı". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 24 December 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Bakü 2019 EYOF'un Üçüncü Gününde Madalya Yağmuru". olimpiyatkomitesi.org.tr (in Turkish). Türkiye Milli Olimpiyat Komitesi. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  7. ^ Gur, Süha; Fatih Çakmak (22 December 2020). "Milli yüzücüsü Merve Tuncel dünya gençler rekorunu kırdı". Anadolu News Agency (in Turkish). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Milli Takım 15 madalya kazandı". NTV Spor (in Turkish). 12 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Milli yüzücü Merve Tuncel, gençlerde Avrupa şampiyonu oldu". Haber Nix (in Turkish). 8 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Türk yüzücü Merve Tuncel, Avrupa şampiyonu". muhalif (in Turkish). 10 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Tokyo 2020 Olimpiyatları resmen başladı". BBC News Türkçe (in Turkish). 23 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
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Olympic Games
Preceded by Flagbearer for   Turkey
Tokyo 2020
with
Berke Saka
Succeeded by
Incumbent