Like a fish in water, freshman Emre Sungur is a natural fit in the pool. Hailing from Istanbul, Turkey, Sungur found his way to Tallulah Falls School. He’s made an immediate impact on campus, and has had great success early and often as part of the state-qualifying swim team.
“I’ve been swimming for 11 years,” says Sungur. “I don’t remember the exact time I fell in love with swimming, because I was so young. But one thing I remember from that time was that we had a baby pool and I was in the pool for the whole day. I was eating in that pool.”
If it’s not during the school day, there’s a good chance you can find Sungur in the TFS Natatorium, where he has trained vigorously since arriving on campus.
“The natatorium is one of the best pools I’ve ever trained in,” states Sungur. “It is so bright, it doesn’t matter what time it is, the lights are on. The water feels really good also. Other pools I’ve been in were okay, but felt pretty old. For me, the facility is so important because I see the pool like my second home, so it needs to be pretty.”
Sungur had a fantastic first year for the Indians this winter. It culminated in competing in four events at the Georgia High School Association State Championships, where he placed third in the 500 Freestyle, fourth in the 200 IM, 12th as part of the 400 Freestyle Relay team, and 14th with the 200 Medley Relay group.
“Emre performing well at the state level bodes well for his future in the sport,” adds TFS coach Rachel Nichols. “Georgia has historically been a powerhouse in the sport of swimming and to be able to place so highly as a freshman is an impressive feat with the depth of competition available to him.”
“My first year of varsity swimming was pretty good,” says Sungur. “I felt the energy of the team and that was great. Competing in a high level meet was good and bad. It was so much stress because we trained for this meet for the whole season. So I get stressed about not being able to translate the practice success to my actual races. But I think I did pretty well.”
Sungur set a trio of school records during his freshman season, including in the 200 Freestyle (1:48.35), the 200 IM (1:58.51), and the 500 Freestyle (4:46.02). The latter two records were eclipsing his previous mark while at the GHSA State Championships at Georgia Tech.
“My goal is to leave a legacy in swimming and introduce swimming to the whole world,” states Sungur. “I want to be remembered as one the greatest swimmers. If I have to say something concrete, I want to be able to go compete in the Olympics.”
Those are lofty ambitions for any swimmer, but for Sungur they are achievable with the right amount of hard work and determination.
“Right now I’m training with coach [Chris] Kafsky, coach Nichols, and my club team coach Don,” says Sungur. “Training for the highest level is making me extra powerful in the water. This is a dream for me, and it’s really fun and wonderful to make every move in the water meaningful.”
“An athlete with not only the determination but the attention to detail that Emre has is something all coaches love to see,” states Nichols. “Emre maintains a positive attitude even after a race that may not have gone the way he wanted it to. He not only seeks feedback but takes the feedback given and immediately implements it to improve. He’s also a great teammate who is compassionate to others. He is an awesome addition to our program from multiple viewpoints, not just the swimming component.”
While all eyes will be on Sungur’s attempt to become perhaps a state champion swimmer and one day, the Olympics, he knows that the process is a daily grind.
“I don’t know my next year’s steps directly, but I will continue to try to get better than the previous day,” says Sungur. “Seeing my work pay off is great because I’m putting my effort, time and life into this and seeing that payback is awesome.”
With the work ethic he’s putting in combined with his sheer determination and athleticism, don’t be surprised to see Sungur crush school records — including his own. Sungur might well end up among the state’s best swimmers, and perhaps make his dreams come true to be an Olympic swimmer.
