On the first 32.3 km crossing of the Catalina Channel this summer season, Marcio Santos Junqueira of Vitoria, Brazil achieved the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming.
On June 3rd, he completed the Triple Crown with a cold-but-smooth 14 hour 0 minute crossing of the Catalina Channel from Santa Catalina Island to the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Southern California.
His wife Raquel, coach Damián Blaum, Daniela Salgado, Matias Toullier, kayaking stalwarts Barbara Schumacher and Patricio Libenson, and observers Roxanne Hipolito and Sara Wicht saw Junqueira walk off Catalina Island into comfortable 16.6°C (62°F) waters at night. But later in the morning sun, he had to deal with gradually cooler waters of 13.3°C (56°F) near the finish.
The Catalina Channel Swimming Federation reported, “Marcio was met with a large pod of playful dolphins in the morning, swimming and playing all around him.”
For more information on his marathon swimming career, visit his Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here. His Triple Crown included an 11 hour 45 minute crossing of the 33.5 km English Channel in 2020 and a 7 hour 26 minute 20 Bridges Swim around Manhattan Island in 2022.
Photos courtesy of the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation. For season updates, visit the Facebook page here.
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