He competed for Turkey at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in five events, won a gold medal for the U.S. team in the September, 1994 Rome World Championships in the 4x100-meter relay, and was an All American swimmer at the University of California Berkeley.

[8] In what may be considered his highest-profile competition win, Taner was part of the gold medal team in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay at the World Championships in Rome in September 1994.

[7][10] Majoring in sociology, Taner attended classes and competed in swimming for the University of California, Berkeley, under Coach Nort Thornton.

[5] A multi-event competitor in college as he was in high school, while swimming for Cal Berkeley at the March 26, 1994, NCAA Championships in Minneapolis, he took first place in the 200-yard butterfly with a 1:44.54.2, and tied for second in the 200-yard freestyle with a 1:34.69.

[7][12][10] As a sophomore at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1994, he was the first Cal swimmer since Matt Biondi to win an NCAA national title when he placed first in the 200-yard butterfly.

At the March 1995 NCAA Division I Championships in Indianapolis, swimming for California Berkeley, Taner won the 200 butterfly, one of his signature events, in 1:44.39.

[15] In October 2000, Taner married another internationally recognized swimmer from California, Liesl Kolbisen, who attended San Mateo High School, and graduated and swam for the University of Arizona in 1998, where she was an All-American.

[16][17] At the time, Taner worked as a professional speaker and represented Speedo Swimming gear and Power Bar.

In Tucson, Tanner trained with the Hillenbrand Aquatic Club and attended the August 2000 Indianapolis Olympic trials.