It was a very difficult day last week between Capri and Naples in Italy at the amateur 36 km Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli (Capri-Napoli International Swimming Crossing Competition).

With winds viciously across the sea and whipping up whitecaps while the sun was setting, the race was called off at 8 pm for safety reasons.

Italian Paolo Meglio was declared in third place as the results were based on the swimmers’ final position in the turbulent sea.

A lifelong swimmer and water polo player who began swimming at the age of 5, Meglio completed six 25 km marathons as well as a 39 km relay. After taking 10 years off as he dedicated himself to family and work, he got back into marathoning both on land and in the water. He first returned to endurance sports by taking to marathon running and has since finished 13 running marathons and a 50 km European Championship run. But the water is now calling him back to his first love – and Capri-Napoli shows how that relationship can become turbulent at times.

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