American woman Sarah Thomas, 37, has become the first person ever to swim across the English Channel four times non-stop. A cancer survivor who finished treatment for breast cancer only a year back, Thomas dedicated this inspiring feat to “all the survivors out there.”
Thomas began this extraordinary challenge in the early hours of Sunday and she finished it a massive 54 hours later on Tuesday at about 630 BST.
While three swimmers have earlier crossed the English Channel three times nonstop, Thomas, from Colorado in the United States, is the first-ever to do so four times.
In a Facebook post, she said, “This is for those of us who have prayed for our lives, who have wondered with despair about what comes next, and have battled through pain and fear to overcome.
“This is for those of you just starting your cancer journey and those of you who are thriving with cancer kicked firmly into the past, and for everyone in between.”
Post the swim, Sarah said that the toughest part of the swim was the saltwater that left her throat and mouth sore.
Sarah completed her first open-water swimming event over a decade earlier in 2007. Subsequently, she swam across the English Channel twice – the first time in 2012 and then again in 2016.
Speaking to the BBC after she came ashore, Sarah said, “I just can’t believe we did it.”
Her Facebook page read an emphatic “SHE DID IT!!!!!” after Sarah achieved this remarkable feat.
Wow! We are awestruck by this unimaginable task that Sarah has so well accomplished! Share your views with us in the comments section below.
