Petar Stoychev shattered the fastest cumulative time for the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming today with his 8 hour 42 minute 33 second crossing of the 32.3 km Catalina Channel in Southern California in water that ranged from 59-63°F (15-17°C).

24 hours 38 minutes 3 seconds was the previous record held by American Marcia Cleveland with her 9 hour 44 minute English Channel crossing at the age of 30, a 5 hour 57 minute Manhattan Island Swim at the age of 32, and her 8 hour 56 minute Catalina Channel crossing at the age of 41.

Stoychev completed the Triple Crown in a cumulative time of 22 hours 8 minutes 46 seconds, besting the record by 2 hours 29 minutes. The Triple Crown has been achieved by 332 people when Alison Streeter, MBE first established the well-known marathon swimming standard in 1987.

The 47-year-old 4-time Olympian Stoychev started his Triple Crown journey with a 6 hour 57 minute English Channel crossing in 2007 at the age of 30. His second leg was a 6 hour 28 minute 45.9 km circumnavigation swim around Manhattan Island at the age of 33. This morning, he completed the Triple Crown while being escorted by dozens of dolphins in the second half of the swim and a blue whale and a humpback whale on his way out to the island on the Pacific Star.

With Don Van Cleve and Roxie Hipolito as observers, coach Ivan Zlatinov, support crew members Elina Siafaris and Steven Munatones, Stoychev not only completed his Triple Crown, but also completed his fifth leg of the Oceans Seven.

Munatones said, “What is incredible is that Petar is flying to and from each of his Oceans Seven channels in a very short period. He flew from Bulgaria to New Zealand, crossed the Cook Strait, then returned home. Then he flew from Bulgaria to Spain for the Strait of Gibraltar, then home. Then he flew from Bulgaria to Hawaii for his Molokai Channel crossing, then returned home. Then he flew to Los Angeles for his Catalina Channel crossing, and is heading back to Bulgaria for a flight next month to Ireland. As a World Aquatics representative, he has responsibilities in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games – and then onto Japan. The channel crossings are exhausting themselves, but then the international travel and time zone changes are also taking a hard toll on his body.

But then again, Petar is a unique athlete who won the 25 km world championship title in 33°C water temperature in Shanghai, but also did an Ice Kilometer in Antarctica in -1°C water. So he has an extraordinary hardened physicality and his mindset are off the charts.

So what he is doing is not surprising, but it still remains tremendously impressive.”

Oceans Seven Challenge

• In 2007, he completed the 33.5 km English Channel from England to France in 6 hours 57 minutes
• On March 14th 2024, he completed the 23 km Cook Strait from South Island to North Island in New Zealand in 6 hours 51 minutes
• On April 15th 2024, he completed the 14.4 km Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco in 3 hours 46 minutes
• On May 14th 2024, he completed the 45 km Molokai Channel from Molokai Island to Oahu in Hawaii in 18 hours 53 minutes
• On June 10th 2024, he completed the 32.3 km Catalina Channel from Santa Catalina Island to Palos Verdes Peninsula in Southern California in 8 hours 42 minutes
• Between July 12th-19th 2024, he will attempt the 35 km North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland at the age of 47.
• His anticipated 19.5 km crossing of the Tsugaru Channel from Honshu to Hokkaido in northern Japan is yet to be scheduled

Stoychev’s track record in marathon swimming is listed on the Marathon Swimmers Federation LongSwims database here and in ice swimming with the International Ice Swimming Association database here.

Munatones said, “I consider Petar as one of the greatest marathon swimmer of all time – and most definitely, the marathon swimmer with the greatest range of abilities. His two English Channel crossings (7 hours 21 minutes in 2006 and 6 hours 57 minutes in 2007) are indicative of his speed and stamina. His professional marathon swimming track record between 1993 and 2012 is unparalleled with 11 consecutive world championship titles and victories all over the world, from many of the fastest Ice Miles and Ice Kilometers in history to a 25 km FINA World Championship in 2011 in 33°C water.”

© 2024 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“