Kocaeli 2026 Day 2: Triple gold joy for hosts Turkiye

Turkiye enjoyed a Tuesday to remember, claiming a hat-trick of gold medals in front of their home fans on day two of Kocaeli 2026 to secure the nation's best-ever session at the World Para Swimming European Championships.

Just two days into competition, Turkiye have already matched their all-time European Championships gold medal tally with four golds.

The celebrations at the Gebze Olympic Swimming Pool began with a Turkish one-two in the women’s 50m backstroke S5, as Sevilay Ozturk won gold in 44.05 and 14-year-old Esra Yuce claimed silver in her European Championships debut.

“It was different to win a medal with my friend. I’m so happy for her, it was an indescribable feeling to win it together,” 23-year-old Ozturk said about Yuce. “It’s a different feeling for us to have won it in our country, waving our own flag and winning two medals. I’m really proud of this.”

Just over 20 minutes later, the local fans were celebrating again. First came Defne Kurt’s second gold medal in as many races, this time in the women's 200m individual medley SM10 (2:27.30).

“I don’t know if it is going to be like in Singapore, I don’t want to promise anything,” Kurt said, about her five gold medals at last year’s World Para Swimming Championships. “I’m still aiming for the world records, I always do. I still have three more races, let’s see. Who knows?”

Moments later, Turgut Aslan Yaraman surprised even himself by winning gold in the men's 100m Backstroke S8.

“I’m so happy, excited, surprised. I really didn’t expect it,” said the 19-year-old.

France also produced an upset in Kocaeli as Dimitri Granjux defeated Germany’s Paralympic and world champion Josia Topf to win gold in the men’s 150m individual medley SM3. 

Poland and Spain shared a gold medal in the women’s 200m individual medley SM9 as Oliwia Jablonska and Anastasiya Dmytriv touched in an identical time of 2:34.50. 

Italy claimed five gold medals on day two, one more than Russia, whose haul included a world record from Konstantin Burmistrov in the men’s 100m butterfly S12 (55.67).

Alongside the host nation, Ukraine and Germany also won three golds on Tuesday. Elena Semechin was among the German winners in the women’s 100m breaststroke SB13, as she balances elite sport with motherhood. 

"I had a very challenging year as a new mother and had to find my rhythm first. The gold medal is the reward for all the hard work. Before, everything revolved around me, my training, my recovery. Now everything revolves around Klaus, and I have to adapt somehow. It's quite a challenge for me to find the right balance. I hope it will be easier to manage and organise everything in the future," Semechin said. 

France won two gold medals, while Czechia, Denmark, Great Britain, Poland and Spain each topped the podium once on the second day of competition in Kocaeli.

The action continues on Wednesday (9 September) and you can watch it live here. 

Kocaeli 2026 – Day 2 Medallists

Men's 100m Backstroke S1
Gold: Anton Kol (Ukraine)
Silver: Francesco Bettella (Italy)
Bronze: Dimitrios Karypidis (Greece)

Women's 100m Backstroke S2
 Gold: Angela Procida (Italy)
 Silver: Teresa Perales (Spain)
 Bronze: Anhelina Maltseva (Ukraine)

Women's 100m Freestyle S4
 Gold: Gina Boettcher (Germany)
 Silver: Mira Larionova (Russia)
 Bronze: Marta Fernandez Infante (Spain)

Men's 400m Freestyle S7
 Gold: Federico Bicelli (Italy)
 Silver: Riccardo Magrassi (Italy)
 Bronze: Danyil Bielyi (Ukraine)

Women's 400m Freestyle S7
 Gold: Veronika Korzhova (Ukraine)
 Silver: Anna Bogatyreva (Russia)
 Bronze: Leyre Orti Campos (Spain)

Men's 100m Freestyle S6
 Gold: Antonio Fantin (Italy)
 Silver: Vladyslav Koshman (Ukraine)
 Bronze: Laurent Chardard (France)

Women's 100m Freestyle S6
 Gold: Giulia Terzi (Italy)
 Silver: Nora Meister (Switzerland)
 Bronze: Verena Schott (Germany)

Men's 150m Individual Medley SM3
 Gold: Dimitri Granjux (France)
 Silver: Josia Topf (Germany)
 Bronze: Ismail Barlov (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Men's 50m Backstroke S5
 Gold: Artem Oliinyk (Ukraine)
 Silver: Yaroslav Semenenko (Ukraine)
 Bronze: Ismail Zulfic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Women's 50m Backstroke S5
 Gold: Sevilay Ozturk (Turkiye)
 Silver: Esra Yuce (Turkiye)
 Bronze: Monica Boggioni (Italy)

Men's 200m Individual Medley SM10
 Gold: Stefano Raimondi (Italy)
 Silver: Ihor Nimchenko (Ukraine)
 Bronze: Bas Takken (Netherlands)

Women's 200m Individual Medley SM10
 Gold: Defne Kurt (Turkiye)
 Silver: Bianka Pap (Hungary)
 Bronze: Lisa Kruger (Netherlands)

Men's 100m Backstroke S8
 Gold: Turgut Aslan Yaraman (Turkiye)
 Silver: Inigo Llopis Sanz (Spain)
 Bronze: Eduard Horodianyn (Ukraine)

Women's 100m Backstroke S8
 Gold: Viktoriia Ishchiulova (Russia)
 Silver: Mira Jeanne Maack (Germany)
 Bronze: Alexandra Ema Borska (Czech Republic)

Men's 100m Butterfly S11
 Gold: David Kratochvil (Czech Republic)
 Silver: Danylo Chufarov (Ukraine)
 Bronze: Mykhailo Serbin (Ukraine)

Men's 100m Butterfly S12
 Gold: Konstantin Burmistrov (Russia)
 Silver: Vladimir Sotnikov (Russia)
 Bronze: Egor Kuzmin (Russia)

Women's 50m Butterfly S7
 Gold: Milana Shchelokova (Russia)
 Silver: Veronika Korzhova (Ukraine)
 Bronze: Anna Hontar (Ukraine)

Men's 100m Backstroke S14
 Gold: Alexander Hillhouse (Denmark)
 Silver: William Ellard (Great Britain)
 Bronze: Vasyl Krainyk (Ukraine)

Women's 100m Backstroke S14
 Gold: Poppy Maskill (Great Britain)
 Silver: Valeriia Shabalina (Russia)
 Bronze: Olivia Newman-Baronius (Great Britain)

Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB13
Gold: Taliso Engel (Germany)
Silver: Thomas van Wanrooij (Netherlands)
Bronze: Philip Hebmueller (Germany)

Women’s 100m Breaststroke SB13
Gold: Elena Semechin (Germany)
Silver: Sofiia Mezhinskaia (Russia)
Bronze: Anastasiya Zudzilava (Belarus)

Men's 200m Individual Medley SM9
 Gold: Hector Denayer (France)
 Silver: Simone Barlaam (Italy)
 Bronze: Bogdan Mozgovoi (Russia)

Women's 200m Individual Medley SM9
 Gold: Oliwia Jablonska (Poland)
 Gold: Anastasiya Dmytriv Dmytriv (Spain)
 Bronze: Zsofia Konkoly (Hungary)

Mixed 4x50m Freestyle 20pts
 Gold: Russia (Mikhail Evseenko, Galina Fedurina, Mira Larionova, Kirill Pulver)
 Silver: Ukraine (Hanna Polishchuk, Denys Ostapchenko, Artem Oliinyk, Anna Hontar)
 Bronze: Italy (Giulia Terzi, Gabriele Lorenzo, Monica Boggioni, Francesco Bocciardo)