Özlem Yücelener is a Munich-based open water swimmer and international marketing professional who travels the world for the sake of swimming in beautiful courses. She has also been a columnist for several digital and print media platforms, writing about sport, travel, and lifestyle, while organizing Swim & Yoga retreats that bring together movement, community, and travel experiences.
She has achieved Top 10 finishes at two World Masters Swimming Championships, placing 9th in both Japan (2023) and Singapore (2025). She is also the bronze medalist of the iconic Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race (2023), silver medalist of the Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race (2024), silver medalist of the Hellespont Swim (2025), and silver medalist of the 7K Megisti – Kaş Swim (2023), her longest open water swimming distance to date, where she swam from Greece to Türkiye.
She has been attending World Masters and European Masters Swimming Championships since 2017 and has already raced in some of the most picturesque spots such as Lake Balaton (FINA 2017), the Sea of East China (FINA 2019), the Sea of Japan (World Aquatics 2023), the Singapore Strait (World Aquatics 2025), as well as Lake Bled (LEN 2018), Lido di Ostia (LEN 2022), Madeira (LEN 2023), Belgrade (LEN 2024), and Poland (European Aquatics 2025). In addition, she has competed as a relay swimmer in five IRONMAN races both as an athlete and as accredited press, and participated in several local and international championships, earning podium finishes across multiple events.
So far, she has swum in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans; the waters of the Moraine region and the Iberian Peninsula; Adriatic, Mediterranean, and Aegean Seas, and the gem of all; the Bosphorus. In other words, she is an enthusiast of water, namely a true “thalassophile.”
Her passion for skiing has also taken her to some of the most enchanting resorts in the Alps, while her interest in sailing has allowed her to sail through the waters of San Francisco and the Aegean Sea.
For those passionate about swimming, yoga, wellness, travel, and sports in general, she is always open to creating mutual value through collaborations and shared experiences.