Chloe McCardel, 36, managed to swim for the 44th time, breaking the previous record of 43 held with British swimmer Alison Streeter.
LONDON – An Australian long distance swimmer broke the world record for most strokes across the English Channel between England and France on Wednesday.
Chloe McCardel, 36, managed to swim for the 44th time, breaking the previous record of 43, which she held with British swimmer Alison Streeter.
Wrapped in an Australian flag, she said, « I’ve waited a long time to celebrate this swim. »
After she was in the early hours of off the English coast, it took her about 10 hours to swim 21 miles (nearly 34 kilometers) and reach the Pointe de la Courte Dune near Calais in France.
The English Channel is one of the most powerful traveled shipping routes in the world, and in addition to cargo ships and ferries, changing tides and waves can increase additional distances for swimmers.
McCardel, who grew up in Melbourne but lives in Sydney, continued her record swim despite posting on Facebook Monday that she was « battling a chest infection ».
Last August, McCardel broke Kevin Murphy’s men’s world record for most canal crossings with her 35th swim.
In 2016, she completed the longest Marathon Swimmers Federation-approved solo ocean swim in history in the Bahamas, covering 124 kilometers.
« It was a really tough journey, but I persevered, » she said her arrival in France on Wednesday.
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