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Türkiye’s rising swimming star Kuzey Tuncelli struck gold twice at the World Junior Swimming Championships, winning both the 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle events.
Tuncelli, competing in Otopeni, first clocked 7:46.52 to claim the 800m title, then followed it with 14:48.81 in the 1500m final.
The 17-year-old, who turns 18 on Aug. 30, later wrote on social media: “Closing the World Junior Championships with two gold medals makes me very happy. I’m entering a period where I’ll need even more support, as I’ll now compete only at senior level.”
Tuncelli, a Fenerbahce swimmer, already made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he finished fifth in the 1500m freestyle final with a world junior record of 14:41.22 — becoming the first Turkish swimmer to reach an Olympic final.
Born in Kocaeli in 2007, Tuncelli began swimming at age 8. He broke his first national age-group record in 2021 and has since become Türkiye’s record-holder in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle.
He also captured gold in both the 800m and 1500m at the European Junior Championships in July, extending his streak to three consecutive European titles in the 1500m.
Tuncelli is coached by Aykut Celik.
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