Jason Zirganos was reportedly the first person to complete the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming (successful crossings of the English Channel and Catalina Channel and circumnavigation of Manhattan Island). But NYC Swim uncovered 1958 media reports that indicate Zirganos never completed his initial circumnavigation around Manhattan Island although this
Scott Zornig found a fascinating Los Angeles Times newspaper article of October 15th 1957: “Jason Zirganos, 48-year old retired army major from Volos, Greece, swam the Catalina Channel from the island to the mainland in 17 hours yesterday. Greased from head to toe, Zirganos dipped into the stormy waters off Howland’s Landing at approximately 8:30 P.M.
The question - and possibility - was raised that Greek swimmer Jason Zirganos was the first person to complete the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming in the 1950s. The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honour Swimmer, inducted in 1971, was certainly a prolific and accomplished swimmer in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1949, he swam the English Channel
The Triumph And Tragedy Of A Greek Marathon Hero Courtesy of WOWSA. Of the 218 inductees in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, Jason Zirganos is the only honoree from Greece. Zirganos (Greek: Ιάσων Ζηργάνος) was a Greek army major and was the first Greek to successfully swim the English Channel. He raced in the Daily Mail First
