What drives people to swim from England to France? British humour? Why do others swim in the Arctic Sea where otherwise only seals and polar bears hunt? Who are the fastest swimmers in the world – and who tops them? Here’s a selection of the most fascinating performances in water.
THE GOLDEN BOY
Michael Phelps – The most successful of all summer Olympians. Between 2004 and 2016 he won 28 medals, 23 of them gold. No one has ever won more. Nor at a single event – alone in Beijing in 2008 he won eight gold medals (three of them with the squad). That is also an Olympic record. Phelps, King of endurance – constantly on top. He is one of only three athletes worldwide who were able to win a discipline four times in a row. He completed this feat in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 with his victory in the 200 m medley. Oh, Phelps is also 27-time world champion and 13-time Pan Pacific Swim Champion.
THE ALBATROSS
Michael Groß – The one with the big wings. The legend of German swimming won three Olympic golds, was 13-time European champion and 5-time world champion, set 24 European records and 12 world records. Curiously, the athlete, who was Sportsperson of the Year on multiple occasions, differed in training to his opponents and only swam for three hours a day. He trained strength and endurance on a road bike, among other things. Today he is a successful motivational coach and author. His motto: it is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.
THE CLASSICS
Eternal records – Some best times are held for only a day or are topped by athletes themselves. Others endure decades. The men’s record holder for record time is Australian Grant Hackett. His best time of 14:10:10 min for 1,500 m freestyle in 2001 was not topped for 14 years and 119 days. The top women’s record time holder is still Petra Schneider. Her 1982 German record of 15:43:31 min – also for 1,500 m freestyle – was unbeaten for 22 years and 313 days!
THE CHANNEL CONQUEROR
In dangerous waters – Swimming the English Channel requires real perseverance: around 32 km separate Dover from Calais – theoretically. The swell of the sea and strong tides extend the stretch and ships constantly cross the path. The first ever man to swim the channel was Brit Matthew Webb. He swam 70 km and it took 21 hours. The first woman was Gertrude Ederle in 1926. With 14:31 hours, she was two hours faster than the fastest man at the time. Peter Stojtschew from Bulgaria holds the current record of 6:57 hours. All credit is due to the Frenchman Philippe Croizon. He is the first person with a disability to swim the channel – without arms or legs.
Here is a short video about Philippe Croizon’s epic achievement
THE ARCTIC SWIMMER
No sea is safe from her – Lynne Cox is the pioneer of open water swimming. Half human, half seal. At the age of 15 she swam the channel in record time, and again at 16. Her list of conquests resembles an atlas of oceans: Bering Strait, Oresund, Skagerrak, Lake Baikal, Lake Titicaca, Magellan Strait, Cook Strait. Sharks, sea snakes – nothing can stop her. Lynne Cox defies ice-cold temperatures with her special physique and will power. From a medical point of view, she performs miracles. In Antarctica in 2002, where ordinary humans would turn into a block of ice after five minutes, Cox jumped into the water, swam a mile and returned to land after 25 minutes.