Amputee swims English Channel

Updated on: 20 September,2010 07:52 AM IST |
Agencies |

Frenchman swims across to the other side 10 hours ahead of schedule

Frenchman swims across to the other side 10 hours ahead of schedule

Philippe Croizon (42), set off from Folkestone in southern England just before 8 am and arrived on the French coast near Wissant just before 9.30 pm, propelled by his specially designed flipper-shaped prosthetic legs.
"I did it, it's crazy!" an overjoyed Croizon said on France Info radio, saying he hoped to become "a symbol of overcoming one's limits".

Steadying himself with the stumps of his arms, Croizon had kept up a constant speed in good weather and had been accompanied by dolphins for part of the crossing, his support team said.

Croizon swims at around three kilometres per hour, slightly slower than the four or five kilometres per hour that an able-bodied athlete might achieve.

In 1994, the metalworker was hit by a 20,000 volt charge as he attempted to remove a television aerial from a house roof when an arc of current surged through him from a nearby powerline.

Doctors were forced to amputate his limbs. As he recovered in hospital he saw a television documentary about a Channel swimmer and an ambition was born.

The father of two said he wanted to complete the dare "for myself, my family and all my fellows in misfortune who have lost their taste for life".

Last month, he completed a 12-hour swim between the ports of Noirmoutier and Pornic on France's Atlantic coast.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels