The two Olympians from the United States and Turkey showed their experience in winning the 7.5km gold medals at the 2024 World Aquatics Open Water Junior World Championships.
Claire Weinstein of the United States and Emir Albayrak of Turkey, two of the most experienced swimmers at the 2024 World Aquatics Open Water Junior World Championships, won the 7.5k gold medals after coming off competing at the Paris Olympics last month.
Albayrak won the men’s race in a photo finish with Italy’s Davide Grossi with the 17-year-old Turk based out of Antalya touching at 1:18:34.30 to Grossi’s 1:18:34.50.
Albayrak recently swam at the Olympics in Paris where he was 23rd in the 1500m freestyle, and he also competed in the 10k open water race where he did not finish. He led the race from the outset and was able to hold off his closest adversary in Grossi.
“The race was very enjoyable and very hard,” Albayrak said.
Grossi, age 17, won the host nation its third medal of the championships through the first six races as he followed up his ninth place finish from the European Juniors in July with silver here on the global stage.
Turkey was able to get two on the podium with Atakan Ercan with the bronze medal at 1:18:39.00. Ercan is also based out of Antalya as Turkey has a good young core of distance and open water swimmers on the rise, as evident by the first Olympic final appearance from 16-year-old Kuzey Tuncelli in August in the 1500m freestyle.
“He is a strong swimmer and he is my best friend,” Albayrak said of bronze medalist Ercan.
Ercan was able to distance himself from Greece’s Vasileios Kakoulakis (1:18:45.20), who finished fourth ahead of Spain’s Cristobal Vargas Trujillo (1:19:03.60).
Weinstein, age 17, was able to win the women’s race after grabbing the lead early and fending off any challengers that came in her way.
“Honestly it was a really tough race,” Weinstein said. “It was really salty and hot and that took a toll on all of us I think, but I am glad I was able to get my hand on the touchpad first for Team USA.”
“Honestly it was a really tough race. It was really salty and hot."
Weinstein, who is coming off of a silver medal at the Paris Olympics in the 4x200m freestyle relay as well as an individual eighth place finish in the 200m freestyle.
“The more meets where you win medals, the more pressure you have,” Weinstein said. “But my only goal was to represent the USA well and I think I did that and I think all of us are doing that. I’m ready for the next days of the meet and I think USA is going to continue to do really well.”
Weinstein gave the United States its third gold medal in the women’s races at these championships, backing up the golds won by Brinkleigh Hansen in the 5k and Claire Stulhmacher in yesterday’s 10k.
Weinstein took gold at 1:25:43.30, finishing ahead of Spain’s Clara Martinez de Salinas Pena (1:25:46.00) for silver and Hungary’s Napsugar Nagy (1:25:49.60) in the final sprint.
Martinez de Salinas Pena follows up her bronze from this year’s European Juniors at age 17, while Nagy won Hungary’s sixth medal of these championships at age 15.
Daisy Collins of the United States finished fourth at 1:25:50.70 after she was on Weinstein’s feet for the majority of the race but couldn’t quite get onto the podium at age 15.
Collins finished ahead of Japan’s Sachika Kajimoto (1:25:52.60) and Italy’s Ludovica Terlizzi (1:25:56.10) in the chase pack.
Parting Shot