If anyone has done their bucket list of open water swims, Vojislav Mijic has. He has swum hundreds of open water races and solo swims all over the world. The race director of the Sabac Swim Marathon, a race on the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix series, he also knows the sport from the swimmer’s perspective as he has down swims in Serbia, Macedonia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Argentina, U.S.A. (from Hawaii to New Jersey), Yugoslavia, Italy, Brazil, Czech Republic, Brazil, the Netherlands, Egypt, Syria and Greece.

Vojislav won the Sabac Swim Marathon himself in 1978 and is the founder and first president of the Committee for Marathon and Long Distance Swimming in the Republic of Serbia. He is a tireless swimmer and promoter of the sport. In his native tongue, his nickname can be translated into English as “the man who swims better than he walks.” With three Guinness Book of World Records, the nickname is appropriate.

He once captured the bronze medal at the 1986 World Marathon Swimming Championships in the 33K Capri-Napoli race in Italy.

“In Serbia, we now have 15 marathon swims per year. When I first started swimming marathons back in 1973, people told me that I was a very crazy man. But now, everything has changed. Marathon swimming is now in the Olympics. I am deeply satisfied in my heart.”

His swims are almost too numerous to list:

* Island Hvar Croatia 16K, 1977, 10th place, 5:38
* Island Hvar Croatia 16K, 1978, 10th place, 5:04
* Island Hvar Croatia 16K, 1979, 14th place, 4:44
* Island Hvar Croatia 16K, 1980, 12th, 4:29
* Sabac Swim Marathon 15K, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978 (gold medal), 1979 and 1980
* Sozopol, Bulgaria 15K, 1980, gold medal, 3:45
* Capri-Napoli World Championships 35K, 1980, DNF
* Kanjiza Marathon, Yugoslavia, River Tisa 5K, 1980, gold medal, 0:42
* Sabac Swim Marathon 18K, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2002, 2003, 2004
* Capri-Napoli World Championships 35K, 1986, bronze medal, 10:55,
* Capri-Napoli Marathon Swim 35K, 1987, 5th place, 10:05
* Capri-Napoli Marathon Swim 35K, 1988, 8th place, 9:38
* Capri-Napoli Marathon Swim 35K, 1989 and 1990
* Bratislava, Czech Republic, 10K, Lake Golden Sand, 1979, gold medal, 2:52
* Bratislava, Czech Republic, 10K, Lake Golden Sand, 1980, gold medal, 2:42,
* Bratislava, Czech Republic, 10K, Lake Golden Sand, 1981, gold medal, 2:38
* Bratislava, Czech Republic, 10K, Lake Golden Sand, 1983, gold medal, 2:50
* Bratislava, Czech Republic, 10K, Lake Golden Sand, 1984, bronze medal, 2:53
* Poznan, Poland, Lake Kiekrz, 12K, 1983, 1984 and 1986
* Island Hvar, Croatia 16K, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1986
* Kanjiza Marathon, Yugoslavia, River Tisa, 5K, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990
* Lake Lipno, Czech Republic, 15K, 1986, 3rd place, 3:38
* Lake Lipno, Czech Republic, 15K, 1988, 4th place, 4:40
* Lake Lipno, Czech Republic, 15K, 1989, 5th place, 4:23
* Coppa Lord Byron, Venezia, Italy, 1983, 12K, 6th place, 3:32
* Coppa Lord Byron, Venezia, Italy, 1984, 12K, 5th place, 3:35
* Forio D Ischia, Italy, 1989, 20K, 7th place, 5:42
* Toregaveta-Baia-Bacoli, Italy, 18K, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988
* Around Capri, Italy, 12K, 9th place, 3:56
* Ana Capri, Italy, 10K, 1986, 8th place, 2:52
* Ana Capri, Italy, 10K, 1987, 7th place, 3:02
* Ischia, Italy, 16K, 1982, 5th place, 5:01
* Ischia, Italy, 16K, 1983, 6th place, 5:33
* Ischia, Italy, 16K, 1984, 8th place, 5:42
* Ischia, Italy, 16K, 1985, 12th place, 5:52
* Sluis, Holland, 16K, 1984, 10th place, 4:25
* Sluis, Holland, 16K, 1986, 7th place, 4:44
* Lecco-Dervio, Italy, 30K, 1989, Lake Como, gold medal, 9:15
* Palermo, Italy, 10K, 1986, silver medal, 2:15
* Palermo, Italy, 10K, 1987, 5th place, 2:22
* Palermo, Italy, 10K, 1999, 5th place, 2:26
* Alexandria, Egypt, 20K, 1984, 7th place, 6:26
* Ismailia, Egypt, Suez Canal, 1986, 26K, 8th place, 7:02
* Port Saed, Egypt, Suez Canal, 1986 25K, 10th place, 6:07
* Nile River, Egypt, 1986, 20K, 10th place, 5:35,
* Nile River, Egypt, 1987, 20K, 12th place, 6:05
* Toroneos Gulf, Greece, 25K, 1988, 7th place, 7:25
* Toroneos Gulf, Greece, 25K, 1989, 7:30
* Ponza-Felice Circeo, Italy, 30K, 1989, 12th place, 9:23
* Galway Bay, Ireland, 12K, 1987, 5th place, 3:46
* Galway Bay, Ireland, 12K, 1988 7th place, 3:42
* Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy, 10K, 1988, gold medal, 2:15
* Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy, 10K, 1989, silver medal, 2:34
* Jablah-Latakia, Syria, 20K, 2000, 15th place, 6:47
* Sozopol, Bulgaria, 15K, 1981, bronze medal, 4:02
* Sozopol, Bulgaria, 15K, 1982, 5th place, 4:22
* Around the Island Marathon Swim, Atlantic City, U.S.A., 26K, 1989, 15th place, 10:36
* Trasimeno Lake, Italy, 20K, 1987, 8th place, 5:42
* Trasimeno Lake, Italy, 20K, 1988, 10th place, 6:12
* Budapest, Hungary, 12-hour non-stop swim, 1987, 6th place
* Budapest, Hungary, 12-hour non-stop swim, 1988, 4th place
* Sabac Swim Marathon, Yugoslavia, 16K, 1979, silver medal, 3:07
* Sabac Swim Marathon, Yugoslavia, 16K, 1982, 4th place, 3:20
* Isola Di Procida, Italy, 15K, 1985, 7th place, 4:29
* Lago di Mergozzo, Italy, 20K, 1990, 8th place, 5:37
* Lake Como, Italy, 30K, 1990, 7th place, 9:45
* Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A. Double Roughwater Swim, 7K, 1989, 5th place, 1:47
* Maslarevo Lake, Bulgaria, 1986, 30K, 3rd place, 7:25
* Lerici Coppa Byron, 1990, 8K, 8th place, 2:35
* Isola di Ustica, Italy, 1988, 16K, 7th place, 5:15
* Sluis, Holland, 1987, 3K, 8th place, 44:05
* Porto Alegre FINA World Cup, Tapes, Brazil, 26K, 1993, 12th place, 7:10
* Porto Alegre FINA World Cup, Tapes, Brazil, 26K, 1994
* Salvador Bahia, Brazil, 12K, 1991, 15th place, 4:27,
* Salvador Bahai, Brazil, 12K, 1993, 10th place
* Toroneos Gulf, Halkidiki, Greece, 25K, 1991, 5th place, 7:32
* Toroneos Gulf, Halkidiki, Greece, 25K, 1992, 10th place, 10:05
* Toroneos Gulf, Halkidiki, Greece, 25K, 1995, 3rd place, 7:20)
* Nile River, Cairo, Egypt, 20K, 1994, 7th place, 7:22
* Nile River, Cairo, Egypt, 20K, 1998, 7th place, 7:17
* Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A., Double Roughwater Swim, 7K, 1991, silver medal, 2:07
* Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A., Double Roughwater Swim, 7K, 1993, silver medal, 2:01
* Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A., Double Roughwater Swim, 7K, 1994, bronze medal, 1:48
* Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A., Double Roughwater Swim, 7K, 1995, bronze medal, 2:03
* Hawaiian FINA Pre-world Open Water Swimming Championships, 3K, 1999, 57:11
* Cefaly, Sicily, Italy, 10K, 1998, 5th place, 3:15
* Cefaly, Sicily, Italy, 10K, 1999, 7th place, 3:25
* Nile River, Cairo, Egypt, 15K, 1994, 8th place, 4:12
* Suez Canal, Ismailia, Egypt, 1993, 25K, 8th place, 7:21
* Suez Canal, Port Said, Egypt, 26K, 8th place, 8:32
* Giza Marathon Swim, Egypt, 1999, 22K, 9th place, 6:49
* Hernandarias-Parana, Argentina, FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix, 88K, 1992
* Hernandarias-Parana, Argentina, FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix, 88K, 1993, 8th place
* Swan River, Perth, Western Australia, 1995, 4K, silver medal, 1:03
* Mar de Plata, Argentina, 1996, 22K, 12th place
* Danube River, Around War Island, Beograd, Serbia, 1996, 15K, 7th place, 3:38
* Piombino, Italy, 1995, 8th place, 5:36
* Piombino, Italy, 1996,
* Maratona Degli Etrushi, 20K, 10th place, 5:44
* Maratona Degli Etrushi, 20K, 1998, 8th place, 5:52
* Aci Castelo, Italy, 1998, 10K, bronze medal, 3:45,
* Ohrid Lake, Macedonia, 1991, 30K, 10th place, 7:05
* Ohrid Lake, Macedonia, 1993, 8th place, 7:21
* Ohrid Lake, Macedonia, 1994, 12th place, 7:15
* Lerici, Italy, 10K, 5th place, 3:35
* Palermo, Traversata du Golfo, Italy, 10K, 1998, 6th place, 3:21
* Palermo, Traversata du Golfo, Italy, 1)K, 1999, 8th place, 2:25
* Around the Island Marathon Swim, Atlantic City, U.S.A., 36K, 1989, 15th place, 10:45
* Piombino, Italy, 5K, 1998, 5th place, 2:16
* Kailua Bay, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A., 1997, 5K, silver medal, 1:24
* Bacoli, Italy, 16K, 1987, 10th place, 4:55
* River Tisa, Kanjiza, Serbia, 5K, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000
* Herceg Novi, Adriatic Sea, Montenegro, 10K, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000
* Sluis, Vlanderen Marathon, Holland, 16K, 8th place, 4:35
* Lecco-Dervio, Lake Como, Italy, 30K, 1991, 8th place, 9:25
* Lerici-Porto Venere, Italy, 8K, 1998, 6th place, 2:21
* Sremska Mitrovica, River Sava, Serbia, 5K, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000
* Lake Palic, Subotica, Serbia, 5K, 1993, 1994, 19995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000
* Lake Balaton, Hungary, 10K, 1994, 5th place, 2:45
* Lake Balaton, Hungary, 10K, 1995, 2:50
* Sutomore-Bar, Montenegro, 5K, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000
* Belgrade Marathon, Ada Ciganlija, 5K, 1998, 1999 and 2000
* Kanjiza, River Tisa, Serbia, 5K, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010
* Trieste, Riviera di Barcola, Italy, 5K, 2002, 2003 and 2004
* Alexandria, Egypt, 2003, FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup, 15th place, 3:35
* Trihonidas Lake, Greece, 16K, 2003, 8th place, 4:47
* Trihonidas Lake, Greece, 16K, 2004, 7th place, 4:52
* Apatin Marathon, Danube River, Serbia, 5K, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009
* Sremska Mitrovica, River Sava, Serbia, 5K, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010
* Celeia, Lake Smartin, Slovenia, 5K, 7th place, 2:35
* Varna, Black Sea, Bulgaria, 5K, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010
* Ada-Mol Marathon, Danube River, Serbia, 5K, 2010, 5th place, 0:35
* Novi Pazar Marathon, Lake Ribaric, 5K, 2008, 5th place, 2:25
* Sombor Marathon, Danube River, Serbia, 5K, 2008, 3:05
* Sabac Swim, River Sava, Serbia, 5K, 2005, 5th place, 1:05
* Lake Panonia, Serbia, 5K, 2008, 2009 and 2010
* Lake Krivaja, Serbia, 5K, 2008, 2009 and 2010
* Ovcar-Kablar Marathon, River Morava, Serbia, 5K, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010
* Becej Marathon, River Tisa, Serbia, 5K, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010

He also holds three Guinness Book of World Records including:

1. River Sava, 1992, 139K in 36 hours and 30 minutes
2. River Danube, 1993, 165K in 23 hours and 57 minutes
3. River Danube, 1994, 175K, 28 hours and 12 minutes

His Openwaterpedia entry is here.

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