Melisa Uluarslan completes North Channel swim, third Turkish woman to do so

Turkish ultramarathon swimmer Melisa Uluarslan successfully swam the 40‑kilometre North Channel between Donaghadee in Northern Ireland and Portpatrick in Scotland. She entered the water at 01:00 local time on 24 July, faced 13‑14 °C water, strong tidal currents and dense jellyfish, and completed the crossing in 14 hours 13 minutes.

Uluarslan trained in Çanakkale with cold‑water sessions year‑round. Her achievement makes her the third Turkish woman (and fourth Turkish swimmer overall) to finish the North Channel, following Kamil Alsaran (2019), Aysu Türkoğlu (2023) and Bengü Savcı (2025). She previously crossed the English Channel in 2025, further highlighting her open‑water credentials.