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Fin swimmer Derin Celikkanat was welcomed home to the northwestern Turkish city of Kirklareli with a motorcade and a public ceremony after winning gold and bronze medals at the World Open Water Championships in Egypt.
Celikkanat won gold in the 3,000-meter bifins event and bronze in the 1,000-meter bifins event at the CMAS Finswimming Open Water World Championships, held Nov. 1-4 in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Local police motorcycle teams escorted Celikkanat into the city, sirens sounding, to a ceremony at Freedom and Democracy Square.
Provincial Gov. Ugur Turan, Mayor Derya Bulut, the provincial youth and sports director, her family, and her schoolmates were on hand to greet her.
Turan and other officials presented Celikkanat with flowers and congratulated her.
"Success is very important, but staying at the top requires working even harder," Turan told the crowd. He praised her as a role model for young people and said Kirklareli takes pride in its sporting achievements.
Turan said Celikkanat has steadily improved her results at European, Mediterranean and world competitions.
Bulut said Celikkanat represented both Kirklareli and Türkiye with success and that the title was a source of great pride. She credited the result to long hours of effort and sacrifice.
"The biggest applause belongs to Derin, for her struggle, patience and dedication," Bulut said. She added that she believes the victory will be an important example for local children and young people.
Celikkanat said she was happy to return home with a gold medal and proud to represent Türkiye internationally.
She said the world championship was her third international competition.
She won silver at the European Junior Championships, which she said was Türkiye’s first medal at the event. She placed fourth at the Mediterranean Games, where she competed in the youngest age category.
"Now I have become a world champion," she said. "I am very happy."
The ceremony ended after the congratulations.
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