WebJul 10, 2024 · On August 25, 1875, Captain Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel. It was a history-making event of epic proportions and helped birth a new sport – marathon swimming. Some 51 years later, Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the Channel, also to much fanfare. Captain Matthew Webb (19 January 1848 – 24 July 1883) was an English swimmer and stuntman. He is the first recorded person to swim the English Channel for sport without the use of artificial aids. In 1875, Webb swam from Dover to Calais in less than 22 hours. This made him a celebrity, and he performed many … See more Webb was born in High Street, Dawley (now part of Telford), in Shropshire, one of fourteen children of a surgeon. Matthew Webb, and his wife Sarah Cartwright Webb, who moved with the family to Madeley High … See more After his record swim, Webb basked in national and international adulation, and followed a career as a professional swimmer. He wrote a book called The Art of Swimming and licensed his name for merchandising such as commemorative pottery. A brand of … See more His death inspired a poem by William McGonagall in 1883. John Betjeman's poem "A Shropshire Lad" (1940) also commemorates the death of Webb, portraying his ghost … See more In 1873, Webb was serving as captain of the steamship Emerald when he read an account of the failed attempt by J. B. Johnson to swim the English Channel. He became inspired to try, and left his job to begin training, first at Lambeth Baths, then in the cold waters … See more Webb's final stunt was to be a dangerous swim through the Whirlpool Rapids on the Niagara River below Niagara Falls, a feat many observers … See more In 1909, Webb's elder brother Thomas unveiled a memorial in Dawley. On it reads the short inscription: "Nothing great is easy." The memorial was taken away for repair after a See more • List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame • List of successful English Channel swimmers See more
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Web1958 Mihir Sen of India (1920-1997) was the first Asian man to swim the English Channel (14 hours, 45 minutes). Until he was twenty years old he had only swum dog-paddle. 1959 Arati Saha of India (1937-1994) becomes the first Asian woman to swim the English Channel (16 hours, 20 minutes). WebCaptain Matthew Webb (1848–1883), from Dawley in Shropshire, England, became the first person to swim the English Channel, making landfall near Calais on August 24, 1875, … marlene corrigan today
One athlete’s key to preparing for an English Channel swim? Eat more …
WebThe Crossing The Extraordinary Story Of The First Man To Swim The English Channel Author: blogs.post-gazette.com-2024-04-14T00:00:00+00:01 Subject: The Crossing The Extraordinary Story Of The First Man To Swim The English Channel Keywords: the, crossing, the, extraordinary, story, of, the, first, man, to, swim, the, english, channel … WebJul 26, 2024 · Swimming the English Channel is a challenge most would flinch at. French, now 41, did it in 2012. Two years later she became the first person to swim the 26 miles from Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly. WebApr 7, 2024 · Abhejali Bernardová is only the tenth person in the world, and the first from a landlocked country to complete the so-called Oceans Seven, a marathon swimming challenge consisting of seven open water channel swims, including the English Channel and the Strait of Gibraltar. The Brno-based swimmer recently published a book … nba first round playoffs 2022