Cooper graduate to compete for Turkey's swim team at London Olympics

Ediz Yildirimer, a recent graduate of the John Cooper School, has qualified to compete in the London Olympics, where he will swim the 1,500-meter freestyle event for the Turkish team.

Swimmer Ediz Yildirimer, a recent graduate of The Woodlands' John Cooper School, has qualified to compete for his homeland of Turkey at the London Olympic Games, set to begin July 27.

This is the second time Yildirimer has been part of Turkey's swim team in the Olympics. At 14, he was the youngest athlete on the Turkish team to compete in Beijing in 2008.

Yildirimer was notified of his qualification June 28.

"This is a dream come true for me and I am beyond excited right now," Yildirimer said in a press release. "I don't even know what to do or say."

He is scheduled to compete in the 1,500-meter freestyle event on the morning of Aug. 4.

While enrolled at John Cooper School as a foreign exchange student, he was a member of the school's team under coach Tim Bauer in 2009. He also swam for The Woodlands team.

Swimming since age 6, Yildirimer's specialty is distance freestyle events. He helped his team place second overall in the 2012 SPC Winter Championships. Yildirimer also holds the national record in Turkey for the 800- and 1,500-meter series.

"You have to be at your top level all the time," he said. "Sometimes it's tough mentally to push yourself to the max every day, but you can only get better when you push past your breaking point."

In the fall, Yildirimer will attend the University of Georgia, where he will be a member of the swim team.