Tom Gregory was eleven years old when he swam the English Channel. Driven by an exceptional coach, Gregory's swim was a remarkable feat of endurance. It's still a little-known fact, but he stood on the tip of France, wearing just swimming trunks and staring out to sea. While his achievement may not have received the attention it deserves, it is still an incredible story.
Did you know that Thomas Gregory is the youngest person to swim the English channel? This amazing feat took place in 1988 when Thomas Gregory was just 11 years old. This swam is a testament to his dedication and determination. It took him six days, but he was able to complete the feat. Thomas is still the youngest person to swim the English Channel. Read on to find out more about his incredible feat.
The English Channel is the busiest shipping lane in the world. Typically, temperatures are around 14-17 degrees celsius, and the distance is about 50 kilometers, but these facts obviously do not matter to some because people swim the Channel like it`s nothing. When Tom Gregory completed his crossing, he had already broken the record set in 1979 by Marcus Hooper. His record-breaking swim came two weeks after the tragic death of the Brazilian Renata Camara Agondi, who was only twelve years and 53 days old. Tom Gregory's parents met him at the coast of Dover, and his sister has swum the English Channel three times as part of six-person relay teams.
Samantha Druce is a British open water swimmer from the county of Dorset in southern England. She swam the English Channel in 15 hours and 27 minutes, breaking the previous record held by Alison Wetherly, who was three years and four days older than Druce. She was also the youngest woman to swim the English Channel, and received the Channel Swimming Association's 1983 Award for Youngest Successful Swimmer.
Rivard, 16, was accompanied by two CSA members, a pilot, an official observer, and her mother and sister. She had completed the 20 Bridges Swim in New York City, as well as the qualifying cold water distance swim for the English Channel in Cork, Ireland. Next year, she will begin her junior year at Kearsarge Regional High School, and she will return to school and training in the fall.
The record of the youngest swimmer to cross the English Channel was set by a South African at age 12 - Karen Muir. She broke the record for the 110-yard backstroke when she was only twelve years, 10 months and 25 days old. Muir broke 18 world records during her career, and is one of only two people to have done so at a young age. While she did not compete in the Olympics, she became a doctor and lived in Canada until her death.
The first woman to swim the English Channel was named Mary Walsh, who achieved this feat in 1871. Then, in 1936, the swimmers of southern California won more medals in the Olympics than the rest of the world combined. Usually it is the solo swimmers who take on a challenge. Mary Walsh, Elaine Tanner, and Margaret Atkinson - each won four gold medals - in the marathon swimming event. The record was subsequently beaten by Kaye Hall, who won the gold medal at the Mexico Olympic Games.
There are no rules for young swimmers to follow while swimming the English Channel, but Emily Epp is a very promising prospect. She has been training for several years for the swim. As a teenager, she was only 19 years old, but she is already one of the youngest people to swim the English Channel. The average age of swimmers is 34, and Emily Epp's goal is to break that record.
A member of Kelowna AquaJets, Emily Epp is the youngest person to swim across the English Channel. At 17 years old, she completed the 34-kilometre swim in eleven hours and 57 minutes. Emily is currently raising funds for Canuck Place. She is also raising money for her sister, Elan, who has been receiving care at the children's hospice for five years. Emily's swim was made possible through a matching contribution by Nicola Wealth Management and the Kids Helping Kids Foundation.
The death of endurance athlete Nick Thomas has sparked a nationwide outpouring of sadness and support for swimmers. At age twenty, Nick was in the middle of a triathlon-style competition called the Enduroman Challenge. The event involves an 87-mile run from London to Dover, a cross-Channel swim and a 180-mile cycle from Calais to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Nick was about three quarters of a mile from the shoreline when he died.
To be able to complete the swim, Thomas had to find land a few miles north of France. But his training was not in vain. He completed the channel at age twelve and 119 days, beating the previous record held by Marcus Hooper in 1979. In addition to his swim, Thomas Gregory completed endurance events such as the Ultraman and Ironman. He trained to swim the Channel for a year and even went to Lanzarote to practice swimming without a wetsuit. Thomas was in the water for 16 hours and passed out. The enduroman crew pulled him out onto a boat and administered CPR.