In fact around 50% of people who try to swim the Channel fail.

How many swimmers around the world are currently dreaming of representing their country in the 2016 Olympics? We can think of at least three Australian swimmers who’ve said they’d like to contest the marathon swim. If the selection criteria match those for London two of those will almost certainly fail to qualify.

We’ve used the words ‘fail’ and ‘failure’ on purpose here. They’re emotion-laden words, sometimes used as taunts. It’s usually seen as the opposite of success.

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