Istanbul:
Almost 800 swimmers raced from Asia to Europe on Sunday.
They thrashed across the Bosphorus, the Istanbul seaway which marks the traditional boundary between the two continents, about 700 metres (half a mile) at its narrowest point.
The race began on the Asian side of Istanbul at the harbour of the Kanlica borough, as swimmers took to the water and headed for Europe.
The 30-kilometre (19-mile) straight, bridged for the first time in 1973, is one of the world's most spectacular and hotly contested waterways.
Once a gateway to Soviet sea power, it's now an outlet for Russian and central Asian oil exports, as well as a world tourist site.
This year's annual race attracted more contestants than ever, according to the organisers.
They included amputees and other disabled swimmers and many foreign nations who travelled to Istanbul to compete in the race.
Hasan Emre Musluoglu, the man who clocked in first place with 41 minutes and 20 seconds described it as "a good race... a little difficult."
They thrashed across the Bosphorus, the Istanbul seaway which marks the traditional boundary between the two continents, about 700 metres (half a mile) at its narrowest point.
The race began on the Asian side of Istanbul at the harbour of the Kanlica borough, as swimmers took to the water and headed for Europe.
The 30-kilometre (19-mile) straight, bridged for the first time in 1973, is one of the world's most spectacular and hotly contested waterways.
Once a gateway to Soviet sea power, it's now an outlet for Russian and central Asian oil exports, as well as a world tourist site.
This year's annual race attracted more contestants than ever, according to the organisers.
They included amputees and other disabled swimmers and many foreign nations who travelled to Istanbul to compete in the race.
Hasan Emre Musluoglu, the man who clocked in first place with 41 minutes and 20 seconds described it as "a good race... a little difficult."
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