Over 1,600 people swim in Cross-Continental Race across Istanbul’s Bosphorus
ISTANBUL – Cihan News Agency
AA Photos
Turkish swimmer Hasan Emre Musluoğlu has won the 26th edition of the Cross-Continental Swimming Race, which took place in Istanbul on July 20.Musluoğlu crossed the Bosphorus, the straight that divides Asia and Europe, in 41 minutes and 26 seconds.
Fellow Turkish swimmer Bertuğ Coşkun came second with 42 minutes 58 seconds, followed by Russian swimmer Egor Savchenko with 41 minutes 34 seconds.
Duchess of Cambridge's sister in race Meanwhile, Pippa Middleton, the sister of Kate Middleton, who is the wife of the British Royal Family's Prince William, also took part in the race.
The race started in the Kanlıca neighborhood on the Asian side and ended in Kuruçeşme on the European side. A total of 1,661 people took part in the swim, 1,002 of whom were Turkish swimmers.
The Bosphorus was completely closed to passing ships throughout the course of the race.
Former Dutch swimming great, Inge De Bruijn, was in Istanbul to promote the event, following in the footsteps of swimming legends Mark Spitz and Ian Thorpe who promoted the event in previous years. De Bruijn swam for an exhibition round on July 19, while on July 20 she did not compete but gave the start to the race.
The winners received their medals from Samsung Electronics Turkey head Yoonie Joung.
The Turkish National Olympic Committee (TMOK), which organized the race, has also arranged for potential members of the 2016 Turkish Olympic swimming squad to meet the Dutch swimmer.
