I couldn’t be prouder and happier: With a sensational time of 05:29:37 hours, I was the fastest person ever to conquer the Jersey Channel on 7 September. I completed the approximately 22.5 km route from the starting point “La Coupe Point” on Jersey to the French mainland in record time – almost an hour faster than the previous record holder and over a quarter of an hour faster than all previous male swimmers. My hard training and endurance paid off. Because the English Channel is particularly challenging and such a swim incalculable – I already had to make this experience.
„THIS IS MY THIRD SWIM IN THE ENGLISH CHANNEL. THE FIRST TIME IT ALMOST COST ME MY LIFE BEFORE I FINISHED HERE IN 2016. IT SHOWED ME THAT YOU HAVE TO GROW BEYOND YOUR OWN LIMITS TO BE SUCCESSFUL. ACHIEVING A WORLD RECORD RIGHT HERE NOW FEELS INCREDIBLE. I COULDN’T BE MORE HAPPY AND PROUD OF THE RESULT“
With this swim I set my second world record. Four years ago, I was the fastest person to swim the Strait of Gibraltar. In the back of my mind, the goal of conquering the seven most important and dangerous straits in the world, the “Ocean’s Seven”. The preparation for this is insanely extensive and demanded a lot from me. I spend several hours a day in the water and in the weight room. This year I’ve swum more than 1,000 training kilometres and have continuously worked on my technique. But in the oceans, it’s not just about physical fitness – mental strength also decides how a swim turns out. And rest assured, the conditions have to be right: Due to the Corona crisis and the associated travel restrictions, I was unable to complete my originally planned crossing. Hawaii was not possible, but returning to the English Channel had been appealing to me for some time. Moreover, it is currently the only possible region that offers me the tough conditions I need to prepare for the “Ocean’s Seven”. Among us extreme swimmers, the English Channel is considered the supreme discipline. Water temperatures here are below 20 degrees almost all year round, the waters are stormy and the currents are unpredictable. If you want to be successful here, you have to be in top shape, have mental strength and show fighting spirit: Things I work on every day. Next year, I want to get a bit closer to my goal – first in the Cook Strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The Kaiwi Channel in Hawaii and the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland will then complete the “Ocean’s Seven”.
