[5] Despite stings from jellyfish[6] and strong currents off Cap Gris Nez which prevented him from reaching the shore for five hours,[7] finally, after approximately 21 hours and 40 minutes,[5] he landed near Calais—the first successful cross-channel swim. #sarahthomas #englishchannel x4 pic.twitter.com/myppMjVPbn, "I just can't believe we did it,” Thomas told the BBC after she landed. B. Johnson to swim the English Channel. No Trace Of His Body Found by the Anxious Searchers", "Monument to Captain Matthew Webb (1848–1883)", Public Monuments and Sculpture Association, "Captain Matthew Webb – the first Person to swim the Channel", "Shropshire's Captain Matthew Webb Named As Unsung Hero", "Landmarks, Monuments, Memorials Of Open Water Swimmers", Two images from the Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont. Backed by three escort boats and smeared in porpoise oil, he set off into the ebb tide at a steady breaststroke. No. The tracker map of Sarah Thomas' four consecutive channel crossings. With Peter Mullan, Brenda Blethyn, Billy Boyd, Sean McGinley. The fastest time was achieved by Bulgarian swimmer Peter Stoychev in 2007, who managed it in 7 hours. She was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in five events. The landmark memorial was returned after full restoration and was hoisted back onto its plinth in High Street in October 2009. Captain Webb – Channel Swimmer. Prior to Champlain, she scheduled this fall’s English Channel swim (Thomas says the wait list for an official Channel swim is often two years). The Channel can do a lot of crazy things and for this to happen, we're going to need some luck,” wrote Thomas on Facebook on Saturday before setting off. He wrote a book called The Art of Swimming[9] and licensed his name for merchandising such as commemorative pottery. An 11 year old boy swam across the English Channel in 1988, in under 12 hours. A brand of matches was named after him. [19], John Betjeman's poem "A Shropshire Lad" (1940) commemorates the death of Webb, portraying his ghost swimming back along the canal to Dawley. Am I 100%? Tried to Cross Rapids in 1883 and Was Lost", "Capt. It was August 6, 1926, the day that an American, Gertrude Ederle, was poised to become the first woman to swim the English Channel. This undated photo shows Thomas swimming the English Channel. But I'm the best that I can be right now, with what I've been through, with more fire and fight than ever," she wrote in her Facebook post dedicating this swim to "all the survivors out there.". She’d set her sights on becoming the first person to swim across it four consecutive times. A crew that included her mother, husband and several swimmers who joined her at points during her journey, cheered her on and ensured she stayed nourished during the trip. Then, three months after swimming Champlain, Thomas was diagnosed with breast cancer. She completed her fourth lap of the channel 54 hours and 13 minutes later on Tuesday morning, after 133 miles of swimming. Even experienced swimmers train long and hard to make the trip across the cold, busy shipping lane with strong currents. LONDON — An American cancer survivor has become the first person to swim the English Channel, which separates England and France, four times nonstop. “She’s very tired and rightly so,” said Spelling in a phone interview with NBC News not long after Thomas completed her last lap. The Coloradan cancer survivor has become the first person to swim across the English Channel four times in a row. “America should be proud. [1], In 1873, Webb was serving as captain of the steamship Emerald when he read an account of the failed attempt by J. Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel without assistance. Killed in Niagara River. The exhausted swimmer lay down on the pebbled beach after coming out of the water, and was then handed some M&Ms and a glass of bubbly. [3] His early training was backed by Fred Beckwith who was the "Professor" at Lambeth Baths. This is her story. Caroline Radnofsky is a senior reporter for NBC News' Social Newsgathering team based in London. His zig-zag course across the Channel was nearly 40 miles (66 km) long. Sarah Thomas, an open water marathon swimmer from Colorado, completed the record-breaking feat at around 6.30am Tuesday morning, more than 54 hours after she set off from the British port of Dover. [1] In 1860, at the age of twelve, he joined the training ship HMS Conway for two years, then entered the merchant navy and served a three-year apprenticeship with Rathbone Brothers of Liverpool. [12] Webb was interred in Oakwood Cemetery, Niagara Falls, New York. Captain Webb, Son of a Physician, Received Training as Sailor in China Trade. (CNN) — An American cancer survivor has become the first person to swim across the English Channel four times non-stop. He participated in exhibition swimming matches and stunts such as floating in a tank of water for 128 hours. "I've been waiting for this swim for over two years now and have fought so hard to get here. The first three-way swim without stopping was completed by American Jon Erikson in 1981 and in 1988 British swimmer Alison Streeter was the first female to achieve … [citation needed], Whilst serving as second mate on the Cunard Line ship Russia, travelling from New York to Liverpool, Webb attempted to rescue a man overboard by diving into the sea in the mid-Atlantic. Record-Holder in five events steady breaststroke, and former world record-holder in five events his course! Steady breaststroke ' four consecutive times on Tuesday morning, after 133 miles of swimming [ 9 and. No easy feat ) long Grammar School in Newport, Shropshire, is named after Webb 13 ], 27. 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