Injury puts an end to Channel swim record attempt

A Belgian man who set out to swim the English Channel in both directions has had to abandon his attempt after almost seven hours in the water. Timothy Christiaen, from Bredene, made it two-thirds of the way in one direction.

“All of a sudden I had a problem with my shoulder,” he said. “At first we tried to fight it with painkillers, but at the point where I could hardly lift my hand out of the water, I knew it wasn’t possible to go any further.”

Christiaen, 36, would have been the first Belgian to make the double crossing, a trip that would normally take 24 hours of continuous swimming. In the end he lasted six hours and 49 minutes. He will now undergo medical examination to determine what the problem with his shoulder is.

For the time being, he has no plans to try again, because of the injury and the financing of the operation, which requires him to be accompanied by a boat and crew for the entire crossing in both directions.

“It’s too bad to have to throw in the towel in this way,” he said. “I was in pain when I came out of the water, but not at all tired, so I was in good condition. In the months to come my family takes first place. I don’t want to put them through another attempt. The preparations take a lot out of you.”

Christiaens’ attempt raised money for Bednet, the remote education network for children confined to hospital. The amount raised will be announced next month.

The first person to swim the English Channel was Matthew Webb, who made the crossing from Dover in August 1875 in 21h 45min. Gertrude Ederle was the first woman, swimming in the opposite direction in August 1926 in 14h 30min. The first person to make the crossing non-stop in both directions was Antonio Abertondo from Argentina in 1961, in 43h 10min. The record time for a two-way crossing is held by Philip Rush of New Zealand, who made the trip in 1987 in 16h 10min. Susie Maroney of Australia holds the record for women, taking 17h 14min in 1991.

Photo: Timothy Christiaen/Facebook