Şadan Derya Erke

Şadan Derya Erke was a Turkish competitive swimmer who specialised in the backstroke, setting national records in the 50, 100, and 200 metres. In 1999 Erke finished second in both the 100 and 200 metres backstroke at the Balkan Junior Championship. These performances earned her a place on the Olympic team for the Sydney Games when she was just 16-years-old. She swam in the 100 and 200 metres backstroke in Sydney, with a best result of 29th overall in the latter. She continued to have consistent results at meets across Europe to earn another place on the Olympic team, this time for the 2004 Athina Games. Erke once again swam in the same two events, finishing 34th in the 100 metres and 21st in the 200 metres. Sadly she was only 41-years-old when she died of cancer in February 2025.