In sport, it of course pays to have a competitive spirit. The ‘it’s not the winning, it’s the taking part’ crowd are kept at arms length in a pursuit of achievement and excellence. Of course though, sometimes the will to win can push other laudable qualities out of the frame too, and that looks to have happened here.
“During an open water swimming race (as part of the International Arena Aquamasters Swimming Races held in Marmaris, Turkey), 40-year-old former national swimmer Tolga Öcal charged into 13-year-old Seyfi Diker moments before he was about to cross the finish line in first place. Both swimmers ultimately suffered from the incident, allowing another swimmer to take first place, with Öcal taking second, and a devastated Diker taking third. Of course this incident may have been accidental, but it certainly looks bad based on the footage.
Hopefully young Seyfi Diker won’t be dissuaded from taking part in further events, due to the distasteful incident in this 1.5-kilometer race. A silver lining is that Öcal was disqualified for his unsportsmanlike behavior, with the youngster being awarded the win.
