Merve Aydın

Merve Aydın — Biography

Merve Aydın was born on March 17, 1990, in the Bakırköy district of Istanbul.

Competing for Fenerbahçe as a middle-distance runner, she won silver medals in the 800m at both the 2008 World Junior Championships and the 2011 European Under-23 Championships, and added another silver in the 4x400m relay at the World University Games held in Shenzhen, China, that same year. At the 2012 London Olympics she took part in the 800m; despite being injured during the race, she refused to give up and finished the heat, earning a standing ovation from the crowd.

After her athletics career, she joined Survivor on TV8 in 2014, finishing third; she returned in later seasons, including an All Star edition, becoming one of the show's most frequently returning contestants, and remained a familiar face on the program through its 2026 season.