After 5 years of non-activity by Italian swimmers in the English Channel, a 59-year-old Italian swimmer Franco Muscarà [shown above on left] completed a 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel in 13 hours 56 minutes. He was escorted by Eric Hartley with observer Keith Oiller and coach Egor Tropeano on September 6th.

Tropeano said of Muscarà, “For two solid years, I have been coaching Franco—and Franco has delivered with 100% discipline, checking off every single training requirement.“

Earlier this year in January, his coach Tropeano (34, Italy, IISA bio here, @egortropeano) swam the fastest breaststroke Ice Mile in a 25-meter pool in the 4.5° water in 27 minutes 10 seconds. His Ice Mile was swum during the Ice Swimming FVG – IISA Italian Championship held in Lago di Cavazzo, known for its clear waters.

A month later in February, Tropeano set a Guinness World Record for the Longest Distance Swum in One Hour in a Pool at Breaststroke [shown above on right]. He broke the previous record of 3.6 km by swimming 4,325 meters in an hour at the Gloria Sports Area 25m outdoor pool in Antalya, Turkey, averaging 1:25 per 100 meters.

Tropeano recalled, “Interestingly, the day before the swim they forgot to heat the pool. The water temperature was 16°C. Fortunately it was partially heated to 20°C, which is still quite cold, but being an ice swimmer definitely helped me handle the conditions. I prepared for about six months specifically for this challenge, and overall I’m really happy with the outcome.”

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