Young Swimmer, 13, Felled by Rival, 40, to Cross Finish-line First

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 9 May 2019)


        A real champion swimmer needs sharp elbows.

At the International Aquamasters Swimming Race in Marmaris on
Sunday, former national swimmer Tolga Öcal (40) pushed rival Seyfi
Diker (13) to the ground in order to reach the finish line ribbon first (!). 
The incident involving Öcal and his 27-years-younger rival has caused
quite a stir on social media.

Afterwards, Öcal was disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct,
while Diker was declared the race winner in his own age-group and
overall.  The 1500-meter race had various age categories but all
the swimmers competed at the same time.  In his own defense,
Öcal claimed that because of the overcast weather and his fogged-up
goggles he lost his balance and bumped into his younger competitor.
(Tell it to the Marines!)


                                    In happier times...

Öcal finished the race in 22.03 minutes but was disqualified. First
place in his age group went to Okan Ulaş, who finished in 22.58
minutes.  Based on the judges' decision, Diker finished first overall
in 22.01 minutes and was declared the race champion. 


 Öcal's hero and his motto: "Women, clowns and children LAST!"

Diker explained after the race that "I got so angry my hands and
feet were shaking.  He told me he didn't do it on purpose, saying 'my
eyes got blurry'.  We're supposed to believe that?!  I expected him
to come to me afterwards. Who wouldn't.  Before the medal ceremony
he apologized and said 'this is open water and such things can happen.
When I was 11 I started swimming in open water and the older guys
would punch us and beat us.'"