Zeyneb Hilal: I had my concerns, but I trained and finally did it

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"Due to the pandemic, all of our races were cancelled until 2021. The only one that was not cancelled was the Cross-Continental Swimming Race.

"As the race was well-organized and competitors were careful, it ended without any problems. It was important for the country that such a big organization as this could be held without any problems while the pandemic was still ongoing. The success here will set a precedent for next races..."

It is how Zeyneb Hilal Saraç, a national team swimmer, tells bianet about the 32nd Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race in İstanbul, where she achieved yet another success.

Saraç is, in fact, the winner of this year's race, which was held on August 23 with the participation of swimmers from 46 countries of the world. Last year, she came in second. With a swimming time of 47 minutes 26 seconds, she even beat the men competing in the same classification.

In men, Mustafa Serenay won this year's race. Organized by the National Olympics Committee of Turkey (TMOK), the 32rd Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race was joined by 1,765 swimmers.

Pandemic measures were taken

As part of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) measures, the race was not open to fans. For the same reason, measures were taken in line with the recommendations of national and international medical institutions.

Similarly, swimmers were taken to the starting point of the race in 3 separate ships. With the start signal given by Minister of Youth and Sports Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu, swimmers jumped into the sea at Kanlıca Dock in the Anatolian side to swim in groups to the European side.

During the race, marine vessels accompanied swimmers so that necessary intervention could be made in the event of an emergency or problem.

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), starting the race in Kanlıca, swimmers came to the finish in Cemil Topuzlu Park in Kuruçeşme after swimming along the parkour for 6.5 kilometers.

In the women's competition, Hilal Zeyneb Saraç came in first with 47 minutes, 52 seconds. She was followed by Ilgın Çelik with 48 minutes, 13 seconds and by Sudenaz Çakmak with 48 minutes, 46 seconds.

In the men's competition, Mustafa Serenay came in first with 46 minutes, 1 second. He was followed by Atahan Kireşci with 46 minutes, 20 seconds and by Atakan Malgil with 47 minutes, 31 seconds.

'I had my concerns'

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

Speaking to bianet, Saraç says:

"This year, it was the third time that I joined the race. The current was stronger than the previous years. Before starting the race, I understood that the current was strong and started the race with this in mind. As the current was strong, it caused several swimmers to miss the finish.

"It was a comfortable swim till the last parts; but though I took my precautions, I still could not finish as I had wished. The Bosphorus is a race that requires experience and tactics. This year, I had a different experience.

"The Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race was the first race to be held after the outbreak of the pandemic.

"I could not train in the water for 2.5 months due to the pandemic. It is quite a long time for swimming because we lose the sense of water quite fast and the loss of performance ensues equally fast.

"That is why, we train in the water twice a day and ensure that the period between seasons is not longer than three weeks. When I started training again, only two months were left till the race.

"I was confident about the program of Gjon Shyti, our chief trainer at the Ankara Olympics Preparation Center of Turkey (TOHM), but I still had my concerns as I thought that I would brace up more slowly due to my age.

"22 years of age might be young for other branches, but swimming is a branch where the highest performance can be achieved when young.

"In fact, when we look at the ages of swimmers who ranked in the Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race, we see that they are 15 or 16.

"Today, the eldest freestyler in Turkey is me. I have to train harder than my competitors to improve my performance.

'I could brace up in a short time'

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

"When I could not train in water for 2.5 months, I kept on training at home. We also trained with our trainers from the Ankara TOHM in video conferences everyday. It was really useful for me. After starting to train in the water again, I completed each training in the best way possible. I could brace up in a short time despite my age and even though I was away from water for so long. And, finally, I got a good result in the race.

'Several people have lost their motivation'

"Due to the pandemic, all of our races were cancelled until 2021. The Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race was the only one that was not cancelled. As the race was well-organized and competitors were careful, it ended without any problems.

"It was important for the country that such a big organization as this could be held without any problems while the pandemic was still ongoing. The success here will set a precedent for next races.

"It seems that there will be no races for a long time in the near future. I am thinking of training well in this process.

"Several sports people have lost their motivation as there are no races in near future. Several of them also have difficulties in bracing up as they have been away from water for a long time. Training well this year, I want to get a good result in the first next races ahead of us." (EMK/SD)