Becoming Fearless In the Open Water
Zhang Jie, a 23-year-old coach at Beijing Sports University, successfully swam 74 km down the Qingjiang River, a tributary of Yangtze River, the longest river in China.Back in 2006, Zhang was a member of Zhang Jian Open Water Swimming Team that successfully swam 150 km in Qingjiang, so she had some experience in the lake.
Zhang Jian, the first Chinese who swam across the English Channel, said, “Swimming in Qingjiang is tougher than in the sea due to the low temperature and the distance, which requires high physical and psychological quality of the challenger.”
But Jie has the pedigree of a marathon swimmer with an 8 hour 3 minute Cook Strait crossing under her cap in 2007.
The Daily News is waiting word if Zhang completed his scheduled Guinness Book of World Record attempt of 80 km across Xingkaihu Lake in Heilongjiang Province, China near the Russian border. It was conducted on the anniversary of the Opening Day of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. “I guess I will be fearless in the rest of my life if I succeed.”
Copyright © 2010 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
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