Retired engineer Vural Tandoğan, 59, has pushed his swimming hobby to an extreme by becoming one of the first 10 people to complete a solo 24-kilometer swim across Lake Malawi, Africa’s ninth-largest lake. Tandoğan completed the challenging course in 14 hours and 59 minutes, braving intense heat, strong currents, and waves, making him the first Turkish swimmer to achieve this feat.
Starting with local races in Türkiye, Tandoğan’s passion led him to swim notable international routes, including the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, the English Channel, and recently around the cold waters of Coronada Island in the U.S. Reflecting on his latest achievement, he said, “Swimming ultramarathons requires endurance and adapting to nature’s conditions.” His goal remains to take on the world’s waters as he continues to break new ground for Türkiye in ultramarathon swimming.
Murat Delice – Ozan Erturan