Who is the youngest female to swim the English Channel?
Sarah Smith
Published Jan 24, 2026
The youngest female to swim across the English Channel is Samantha Druce (UK, b. 22 April 1971), who completed the crossing in 15 hr 27 min aged 12 years 118 days on 18 August 1983.
Who was the youngest girl to swim the English Channel?
DOVER, England, Sept. 3 (AP) — Leonore Modell, 14year‐old schoolgirl from Sacramento, Calif., today became the youngest person to swim the English Channel. She battled adverse tides to swim from France to Dover in about 15 hours 30 minutes and received a roaring welcome from hundreds of spectators waiting on shore.
How old was the first woman to swim the English Channel?
Gertrude Ederle (1905-2003) made history and rocketed to international stardom in 1926 when, at age 20, she became the first woman to swim the English Channel, then considered one of the toughest endurance tests in the world, beating the fastest man's existing record by nearly two hours, and challenging notions about ...
Who was the fastest woman to swim the English Channel?
Directional and Gender-specific
- Fastest three-way (female): Alison Streeter (34:40 in 1990)
- Fastest France-to-England: Richard Davey (8:05 in 1988)
- Most crossings (male): Kevin Murphy (34)
- Oldest (female): Linda Ashmore (71 in 2018)
- Youngest (female): Samantha Druce (12 years, 118 days in 1983)
Who swam the English Channel 1st?
Matthew Webb, a 27-year-old merchant navy captain, becomes the first known person to successfully swim the English Channel. Captain Webb accomplished the grueling 21-mile crossing, which really entailed 39 miles of swimming because of tidal currents, in 21 hours and 45 minutes.
39 related questions foundWho was the first British woman to swim English Channel?
On August 6, 1926, on her second attempt, 19-year-old Gertrude Ederle becomes the first woman to swim the 21 miles from Dover, England, to Cape Griz-Nez across the English Channel, which separates Great Britain from the northwestern tip of France.
Who swam the English Channel 44 times?
Australia's extraordinary marathon swimmer Chloe McCardel has today been crowned the official “Queen of the Channel” after her world record breaking 44th crossing of the English Channel from England to France.
Who has swam the English Channel the most?
An Australian woman has set a new record for swimming the English Channel by completing her 44th crossing, the most ever by a single swimmer.
Who is the first Indian woman to cross the English Channel?
Arati Gupta (née Saha; 24 September 1940 – 23 August 1994) was an Indian Bengali long-distance swimmer, best known for becoming the first Asian woman to swim across the English Channel on 29 September 1959.
Who was the first female swimmer?
Gertrude Ederle, in full Gertrude Caroline Ederle, (born October 23, 1905, New York, New York, U.S.—died November 30, 2003, Wyckoff, New Jersey), first woman to swim (1925) the English Channel and one of the best-known American sports personages of the 1920s. Ederle early became an avid swimmer.
Who was the first active woman instructor in swimming?
Swimming became a unisex sport on April 20th, 1847 Nancy Edberg was active as the first woman instructor in swimming in Stockholm, making swimming lessons accessible for both genders. Later she made lessons accessible to both gender in Norway and Denmark.
Which 1950s movie star was also a famous swimmer?
Esther Williams, in full Esther Jane Williams, (born August 8, 1921, Inglewood, California, U.S.—died June 6, 2013, Beverly Hills, California), American swimming champion who became one of the most popular and profitable Hollywood movie stars of the 1940s and '50s.
How long does it take to swim the English Channel?
How long does it take to swim the English Channel? It can take between 7 hours and 27 hours or more. The time it takes to swim is dependent upon the speed of the swimmer and the channel conditions on the day of the swim.
How long did it take Thomas Gregory to swim the English Channel?
He had made it from France to England in 11 hours and 54 minutes. He was 11 years and 336 days old. No one has done it younger, and no one ever will.
How much weight do people lose swimming the English Channel?
A man weighing around 70-80kg will burn about 750 calories an hour while swimming breaststroke at moderate intensity. This confirms that swimming the Channel can easily take 4Kg off your weight.
Who swam the English Channel recently?
An Australian woman has set a new record for swimming the English Channel by completing her 44th crossing, the most ever by a single swimmer. Chloe McCardel arrived at Pointe de la Courte Dune in France on Wednesday, 10 hours after leaving Kent.
How long did it take Chloe to swim the English Channel?
She has done a number of double and one triple crossing, spending just under 37 hours in the water. But whatever the experience, the stretch of water kept calling her back. “The first time I really felt like I'd found where I belonged,” she told the Guardian before the final swim.
Who was the first woman to swim across the Atlantic Ocean?
Jennifer Figge, 56, Becomes First Woman To Swim Across Atlantic Ocean.
How many people have swam the English Channel?
The English Channel is the standard test for traditional marathon swimmers. As of the end of 2020, 2,157 individuals had completed the swim, compared to 5,788 who had summited Mount Everest.
What is the fastest swimming stroke?
Front Crawl/Freestyle
It is one of the first strokes learnt by young swimmers. Front Crawl is also known as freestyle, as it is the most used stroke in freestyle events. This is because it is the fastest and most efficient of all the strokes.
