On March 16th, 29-year-old Matías Díaz Hernández set the 42 km cross-border swim, Cruce a Nado del Río de la Plata in 8 hours 51 minutes.
Organizer Matías Ola described the record-setting swim, “Patagonian swimmer Matías Díaz Hernández was born in Santa Cruz and is a prominent Argentine professional marathon swimmers who crossed the Río de la Plata in record time over the 100+ year history of swimming between Uruguay and Argentina. Starting with pioneer Lilian Harrison, who crossed these waters at the age of 19 in a time of 24 hours 19 minutes in 1923, to contemporary challenges including Damián Blaum who crossed Río de la Plata in 9 hours 6 minutes in February 2018, this river has witnessed many triumphs and attempts.
Díaz Hernández embarked on this challenge with the clear goal of setting a new mark. His journey began in Punta San Pedro, Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay, and ended in Punta Lara, Ensenada in Buenos Aires. With meticulous physical preparation and unwavering determination, Díaz Hernández plunged into the waters of the Rio de la Plata with the firm purpose of conquering this challenge.
The organization, logistics, and oversight of this historic crossing were handled by the Asociación Civil Nadando Argentina, which ensured the safety and compliance with the regulations established for the journey.
At 6:35 am on Saturday, March 16th, Díaz Hernández began his journey from Uruguay. 8 hours 51 minutes later, Díaz Hernández reached Punta Lara in Argentina. His achievement not only represents the courage and determination of an exceptional athlete, but is also a tribute to perseverance and passion for the sport. Díaz Hernández has shown that limits are meant to be challenged and that dreams can become reality with dedication and sacrifice.”
About Nadando Argentina
The Asociación Civil Nadando Argentina is an organization dedicated to promoting and developing swimming in all its forms in Argentina. Through the organization of events, competitions, and training programs, Nadando Argentina seeks to foster sports participation and competitive spirit in the community. Nadando Argentina is a non-profit Civil Association organized by Ola and his coach Pablo Testa.
Ola is a pioneer swimmer in open water crossings in the world who created a new open water challenge called the Triple Corona del Fin del Mundo (Triple Crown of the End of the World), a unique extreme Southern Hemisphere challenge that spans Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile with a priority on preparation and safety:
- Cruce a Nado del Canal Beagle, a 1.5 km or 10 km crossing between Chile and Uruguay
- Cruce a Nado del Río de la Plata, a 42 km crossing between Argentina and Uruguay
- Cruce a Nado del Estrecho de Magallanes, a 5 km crossing within Chilean waters
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