Channel swim for man without limbs

A FRENCH man who lost all of his limbs following an electric shock is training to become the first quadruple amputee to swim across the English Channel this autumn.

Philippe Croizon, from Châtellerault in the Vienne, will attempt the crossing from Folkestone to the Cap-Gris-Nez between Boulogne and Calais in September.

The 41-year-old was amputated following an accident in 1994, when the TV aerial he was attempting to fix on his roof came into contact with an overhead power line.

He is training for up to 30 hours a week using prosthetic limbs with specially designed fins attached and hopes to complete the 34km crossing in a day.

Coastguards in the Charente-Maritime have been accompanying his training sessions in the bay at La Rochelle to help him get used to swimming against the tide.

Mr Croizon told the Sud-Ouest newspaper: "The more I practise swimming in the sea, the more I feel confident and ready to realise my dream."

You can follow his preparations online at www.philippe-croizon.com