Turkish diver Sahika Ercumen sets world record to honor republic's 100th anniversary
38-year-old sets record by diving 106 meters with no fins in Turkish Mediterranean
HATAY, Türkiye
Famous Turkish diver Sahika Ercumen on Tuesday set a new world record in women's freediving to mark the 100th anniversary of the republic.
Ercumen, 38, set a record by diving 106 meters (348 feet) into the Turkish Mediterranean in the field of variable weight with no fins.
In her feat, she dove into a bay near the southernmost province of Hatay to raise awareness of southern Türkiye, which was devastated by major earthquakes this February.
The previous record holder in women's variable weight with no fins was Serbian diver Lena Balta, who set a 105-meter (344-ft) record in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt in June 2022.
The Republic of the Türkiye is set to celebrate its 100th anniversary on Oct. 29.
Ercumen previously broke a 100-meter (328-ft) world record in the same field in 2021.
The UN Development Program in 2020 declared Ercumen Türkiye's ambassador for underwater life.
In 2019, Ercumen was part of Türkiye's Third National Antarctic Science Expedition to dive for the Turkish polar base.
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