Sport: Swimming
Achievements: Europeans finalist, Islamic Games winner, multiple times Turkish, German and Finnish National Champion. NCAA All-American.
Goal: Paris 2024
Motto: Do it with fun or don't do it at all
Surprising skill: Recognizing any song within the first 10 seconds.
Hometown and club: I'm originally from Cologne Germany, but now I live in Tampere and represent TaTU Tampere.
Favorite racing suit and why: Arena Carbon Core FX is my favorite racing suit, especially for I.M and backstroke. The best thing about the suit is the high compression, which helps keep the hips afloat and ensures a good swimming position in races.
How did you get into the sport, what else do you do? What kind of career have you had?
I got into the sport because I grew up near the sea, which made me fall in love with the water. Over the years I moved from salt water to chlorinated water and that's the path I've stayed on. As for other sports, I'm what you might call an all-arounder in sport. I'm very competitive and like to challenge myself in every sport. My favorite hobby is any ball sport but especially football!
What do you like the most in your sport, what do you like the least?
What I like most is that swimming offers so many opportunities to see places, meet new people and have new experiences. The best part is that I can challenge and improve myself every day.
My least favorite thing is how quickly you lose your feel for the water and your touch during a training break. I also don't like how swimming still hasn't gained the recognition it deserves among other sports, especially in Europe.
Who inspires you, or has been your role model and why?
At the moment I am most inspired by my partner Ida Hulkko, because every day we challenge and help each other to be better in the pool and beyond. My role model in sports has always been Lebron James, because he still loves what he does even after 20 years at the top of the sport. Elsewhere in life my role model is my own father, as he has shown that everyone needs someone in their life to support, protect and help them in every situation and that is why I will try to be more like him in the future.
How do you train, how much time and how?
As I've got older, I've focused more on qualitative training than quantitative. As a result, I currently train in the pool 7 times a week and in the gym 3-4 times. I have trained quantitatively a lot in my youth and you could say that my machine has the necessary mileage. So at the moment we focus most of our training on race pace and threshold training, not forgetting technical skills.
Where do you get the motivation to train on days when you don't feel like it, if you have those days?
I either listen to music to get in the training mood or focus on one small thing that I can improve. By doing these things, I remind myself of a bigger goal, which helps a lot on the worst days.
Who has had the biggest influence on your career and the fact that you compete?
My first coach has had the biggest impact on my swimming career and my life, as I learned everything I know from him, whether it's manners, general knowledge or swimming technique. He was also the only one, apart from my family, who has believed in me throughout my career and kept me in check.
What do you think is the most important thing for you to achieve your goals?
Having fun and enjoying what I do every day. Without enjoyment and having fun swimming becomes forced, which I think is the biggest obstacle to progression.
What do you wish you had known when you first competed/started that you know now?
You don't have to be afraid of failure, it's all about swimming at the end of the day. Understanding this idea has helped me find a sense of relaxation and a certain peace in what I do.
What is the best thing that sport has taught you?
The best thing I've learned is that even if you work hard at something, you may not necessarily achieve your goal. But that doesn't mean you can't still be proud of the fact that you've given it your all. What matters in life is the journey and not the destination as is often said.
Your training tips for a beginner swimmer?
Focus on one thing at a time instead of trying to master everything at once. And more importantly, enjoy what you are doing!
What equipment do you use for training and why?
Arena's Powerfin fins are in my daily use and perhaps surprisingly for many, I use a resistance band to develop my power output and touch in the water.
As an example of a workout, write down your favourite workout and why this one?
I particularly like hard pulls at the start. I used to love this set when I was younger but nowadays I don't think I could finish that set.
5x (200 sec descending between rounds @3min +100 backstroke threshold @1.30min +50 backstroke off the block @2.30min) No easy swimming between rounds, but 1min break between rounds.
Tell us a funny coincidence from your career?
When I competed in the EYOF competitions held in Turkey, my father could not come to watch the competitions as the competitions were sold out. However, he talked his way into a free STAFF pass, which allowed him to go everywhere to watch the races. So my dad watched the races with a special pass without anyone knowing or noticing, which was a funny coincidence and a testament to how much my dad wanted to see me swim!
