During the two years since he emigrated from Türkiye, Locust Valley High School sophomore Nevzat Arda Agir has used his love of swimming to make friends and a name for himself. Already an accomplished long-distance swimmer, Agir arrived just in time to take part in the high school’s inaugural varsity boys swimming season in 2024, setting several records that will be difficult to beat event as the program grows. On top of these accolades, Agir has set his sights on challenging marathons, including one around Manhattan in July.
Swimming helped Agir settle into his new home. He made a splash at the county championships in February, setting the new program’s record for the 200-yard individual medley at two minutes and 17 seconds. He swims six days a week and is always looking to improve. In summer 2024, Agir made his first foray into long-distance swimming, navigating the 4.3-mile Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim off the coast of Istanbul in just 56 minutes.
“The first time it is scary, but when you finish when I finished it I felt like it was easy,” Agir said. “In the ocean, you need to find the current and once I did it was easy for me.”
For his next challenge, Agir is hoping to become the youngest Turkish swimmer to complete the 28.5-mile Manhattan 20 Bridges Swim on July 27. The event is part of the triple crown of open-water swimming that includes traversing the English Channel and the Catalina Channel. Agir is excited for the unique and exclusive 20 Bridges event because he will deal with strong currents, tides and boat traffic, which make for an incredible test on his endurance and mental toughness. Agir has been hard at work preparing for this challenge.
“I never miss a practice and we practice six days a week with the Long Island Express team,” Agir said. “When the weather is good, I also swim long distances in the sea.”
Seeking advice for the 20 Bridges event, Agir went to Instagram and messaged Turkish national team swimmer Bengisu Avci, who set a new world record in the 200-meter medley at the Ice Swimming World Championship in early 2025. Not only did Avci respond to Agir, but she also set up Zoom calls throughout the past year to give him tips and tricks on how to push through the event.
After the 20 Bridges, Agir will set his sights on the 6.2-mile Swim Across America event at Cold Spring Harbor Beach, where he will raise money for cancer research, on August 1. In 2026, he will take part in the English Channel Relay on behalf of UK charity The Alexa Trust, a non-profit that supports parents with babies in neonatal care.