In March, Locust Valley High School junior Nevzat Arda Agir continued his international swimming pursuits, taking part in the Winter Swimming World Championship in Oulu, Finland.
The competition saw over 2,000 athletes from 50 different countries swim at the outdoor pool in 28-degree waters. The weather was cold enough that the lanes had to be cut out of ice at the start of each day, but the conditions did not deter Agir.
“It feels terrible at first, then you start swimming and it’s alright because in that environment you don’t feel that cold because you are excited,” Agir said.
Agir, 16, plans to compete in the next Winter Swimming World Championship in Argentina in 2028. He was the youngest member of the age 16-19 heat, earning fifth place in the 25-meter freestyle and 50-meter breast stroke and sixth place in the 25-meter breast stroke. In the breast stroke relay, Agir’s team, “Ice Swimmers” finished in fourth place.
Agir has dreams of completing the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming by navigating the 20-mile Catalina Channel swim and 21-mile English Channel Relay this summer after finishing the first leg, the 20 Bridges Swim around Manhattan in July 2025. Over the past two years, he has prepared through long-distance events such as the 4.3-mile Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim off the coast of Istanbul in August 2024 and the two-mile Swim Across America event at Pryibil Beach in Glen Cove in August 2025. Between these globe-trotting adventures, Agir competes as a member of the Locust Valley High School varsity swim team and trains six days a week with his Long Island Express swim team.