Maltese ultra-endurance swimmer Neil Agius has officially broken the world record for the Longest Ocean Swim.

It took Agius just over 50 hours to swim a total of 125km from Linosa to Malta, smashing the previous record of 124.4km held by Britain’s Chloe McCardel.

The swimming instructor and ex-Olympian arrived in Xlendi, Gozo this evening at around 10pm to a crowd of supporters cheering him on his final leg of the incredibly gruelling journey.

Agius is no stranger to herculean tasks, having swum from Sicily to Malta last year. However, the ultra-endurance athlete knows no limits and has managed to smash a world record with his most recent swim. 

In addition to being an incredible feat of strength, Agius did his swim to raise awareness for his Wave of Change initiative, where he asked supporters to each do their part in helping the environment by collecting six pieces of plastic each from the sea. 

The incredible journey has taken a number of twists and turns on the way, with Agius first meant to start in Tunisia and end in Sicily. However, adverse weather conditions forced a last-minute change that saw the swimmer leave from Linosa instead.

Agius battled injuries, bad weather and mental challenges on his way to Gozo but pulled through with the support of his 22-man team, including his new fiance who proposed to him right before he set off…

… and never left his side during the gruelling swim.

Well done, Neil! 

Photo Credit: Kurt Arrigo

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