Sarah Thomas Honored With The Poseidon Award By The International Swimming Hall Of Fame
Courtesy of Ned Denison, International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
Ned Denison, chairperson of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, announced Sarah Thomas as the recipient of the 2021 Poseidon Award by the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
The Poseidon Award is an annual award given by the International Swimming Hall of Fame to recognize those individuals who have gone beyond the call of duty and elevated the world of marathon swimming in a unique and lasting manner. The Poseidon Award recognizes high level achievement from personal effort or initiative in a field of endeavor that contributes to the performance of marathon swimmers or to the development and status of marathon swimming to the world.*
With Thomas’ unparalleled success at long marathon swims over the last 7 years, it is clear that she elevated the world of marathon swimming in a unique and lasting manner especially considering that she is a breast cancer survivor and completed two channel swims (Cook Strait and English Channel Quadruple Swim) with a tissue expander.
Denison talked with Thomas on today’s WOWSA Live. They discussed:
* The longest three current-neutral marathon swims in history: Lake Powell, Lake Champlain and the English Channel
* Her other long lake swims in Lake Tahoe in 2013 and Lake Memphremagog in 2014
* Having a meltdown at the 30-hour mark in Lake Powell in 2016 where she swam 168.3 km in 67 hours 16 minutes
* Planning channel swims around her cancer treatment
* Swimming 132 km in 54 hours 10 minutes in an unprecedented four-way English Channel crossing with a tissue expander
* Appearing in ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Good Morning Britain
* Passing out in a bathtub after her 67 hour 16 minute Lake Champlain swim
* The Poseidon Award recipients have included the following individuals:
2013 – Organising Committee of the 2013 Global Open Water Swimming Conference: Oswald Schmidt, Paschal Horgan, Lake PowellCaptain Tom McCarthy, Ciaran O’Connor, Finbarr Hedderman, and Ned Denison
2016 – Chloë McCardel, Australia
2017 – Steven Munatones, USA
2018 – Chris Guesdon, Australia
2019 – Michael Read, MBE, United Kingdom
2020 – Petar Stoychev, Bulgaria
2021 – Sarah Thomas, USA
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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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