Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

From the general public’s perspective, the ultimate achievement of pool swimmers is competing in the Summer Olympic Games. For many channel swimmers, the ultimate achievement is crossing the English Channel.

Some athletes do both.

There are not many of these cross-over athletes, but there are a few dozen of these luminaries of both the pool and the English Channel.


Only Petar Stoychev of Bulgaria competed in both the pool and the open water during the same Olympic Games.

The swimmers include:

1. Petar Stoychev (Bulgaria 400m, 1500m, 10 km freestyle at 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 Olympics): 6 hours 57 minutes in 2007 [shown above]

2. Yuri Kudinov (Kazakstan 10 km freestyle in 2012 Olympics): 7 hours 5 minutes in 2007

3. Rostislav Vítek (Czech Republic, 10 km freestyle in 2008 Olympics): 7 hours 16 minutes in 2009

4. Petar Stoychev (Bulgaria, 400m, 1500m, 10 km freestyle at 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 Olympics): 7 hours 21 minutes in 2006

5. Gilles Rondy (France, 10 km freestyle at 2008 Olympics): 7 hours 54 minutes in 2004

6. Edith van Dijk (Netherlands, 10 km freestyle in 2008 Olympics): 9 hours 8 minutes in 2003*

7. John Kinsella (USA, 1500m freestyle (silver) in 1968, 4×200 freestyle relay in 1972 Olympics): 9 hours 10 minutes in 1979

8. Miguel Arrobas (Portugal, 100m, 200m backstroke in 1992 Olympics): 9 hours 30 minutes in 2008

9. Jo O-Ryeon (Korea, 400m, 1500m freestyle in 1972 Olympics): 9 hours 35 minutes in 1982

10. Linda McGill (Australia, 200m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 400 IM and 4×100 medley relay in 1964 Olympics): 9 hours 59 minutes in 1967*

11. Eva Mortensen (Denmark, 400m, 800 freestyle at 1988 Olympics): 10 hours 46 minutes in 1996

12. Linda McGill (Australia, 200m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 400 IM and 4×100 medley relay in 1964 Olympics): 11 hours 12 minutes in 1965*

13. Veljko Rogošić‡ (Yugoslav, 400m, 1500m freestyle, 200m butterfly, 4x200m freestyle relay at 1960 Olympics and 400m, 1500m freestyle at 1964 Olympics): 11 hours 27 minutes in 2004 (63 years old)

14. Greta Andersen (Denmark, 100m, 400m freestyle (gold), 4x—100 freestyle relay (silver): 11 hours 59 minutes in 1958*

15. Linda McGill (Australia, 200m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 400 IM and 4×100 medley relay in 1964 Olympics): 13 hours 2 minutes in 1967

16. Enriqueta Duarte (Argentina, 100m, 400m freestyle, 4×100 freestyle relay in 1948 Olympics): 13 hours 26 minutes in 1951*

17. Greta Andersen (Denmark, 100m, 400m freestyle (gold), 4x—100 freestyle relay (silver): 13 hours 49 minutes in 1965

18. Greta Andersen (Denmark, 100m, 400m freestyle (gold), 4x—100 freestyle relay (silver): 13 hours 40 minutes in 1964

19. Bimal Chandra (India 400m, 1500m freestyle in 1948 Olympics): 13 hours 50 minutes in 1959

20. Greta Andersen (Denmark, 100m, 400m freestyle (gold), 4x—100 freestyle relay (silver): 13 hours 53 minutes in 1957*

21. Edward Temme (Great Britain, water polo in 1928 and 1936 Olympics): 14 hours 29 minutes in 1927*

22. Gertrude Ederle (USA, 100m (bronze), 400m (bronze) freestyle, 4×100 freestyle relay (gold) in 1924 Olympics): 14 hours 39 minutes in 1926*

23. Greta Andersen (Denmark, 100m, 400m freestyle (gold), 4x—100 freestyle relay (silver): 15 hours 25 minutes in 1959*

24. Edward Temme (British water polo in 1928 and 1936 Olympics): 15 hours 34 minutes in 1934

25. Arati Saha (Indian 200m breaststroke at 1952 Olympics): 16 hours 20 minutes in 1959

26. Tom Burgess (Great Britain, water polo (bronze), 1000m (DNF) and 4 km (fifth) in 1900 Olympics): 22 hours 35 minutes in 1911

* Crossing from France to England. All other swims were England to France.

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