Limbless swimmer beats icebergs

LIMBLESS swimmer Philippe Croizon has succeeded in his bid to swim between all five continents after crossing the Bering Strait between America and Asia in water that was just 4C.

Using prosthetic limbs with specially-adapted flippers, he and his able-bodied swimming partner Arnaud Chassery swam past icebergs as they crossed the 4.3km between Little Diomede island in Alaska and entered Russian territorial waters off Great Diomede.

They were prevented from landing on Great Diomede by local border guards who refused to accept an authorisation issued by Moscow and they had to end the swim after passing into Russian waters.

It took them one hour and five minutes and when he was helped from the water near the Russian island Philippe, 44, said he was "totally exhausted" after the "hardest swim of my life".

He added: "Between the enormous waves and the fog you could cut with a knife I thought I would never finish. Without Arnaud I could never have done it. I followed him and he guided me and watched over me. But it was vital to do it, it was now or never.

"I have a real feeling of pride!"

Arnaud said: "It was a team success. Without me, Philippe said, he wouldn't have managed today - and without him I would not have been there. It was an incredible opportunity to swim here."

The duo started their swims between the continents in May and have swum between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia to link Oceania and Asia, across the shark-infested Red Sea from Egypt to Jordan to link Africa and Asia and across the Strait of Gibraltar to link Africa and Europe.

Philippe lost all four limbs after suffering a massive electric shock trying to fix the TV aerial on his roof in 1994 and yesterday's momentous swim included battling two-metre waves and dodging icebergs in the intense cold.

Now he has been asked to attend the Paralympic Games in London to join French TV and radio commentary teams.
Photo: Nager au-delà des frontières