Maya Merhige posts about her many open water swims on Instagram @chasing_channels, from crossing Lake Tahoe and swimming in San Francisco Bay to crossing the Molokai Channel.

As the Berkeley, California native describes herself, she is a swimmer of oceans, lakes, and channels.

With her 11 hour 39 minute crossing of the English Channel on July 13th, she has earned her way into the pantheon of history’s youngest marathon swimmers. To date, there were only 10 swimmers under the age of 20 to achieve this feat (see complete list of 334 swimmers here on the Marathon Swimmers Federation LongSwims database).

Merhige became only the third person under the age of 17 to achieve the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, joining Margaret Rivard and Charlotte Samuels as the only 16-year-olds to complete crossings of the English Channel and the Catalina Channel and a circumnavigation swim around Manhattan Island (currently called 20 Bridges and previously the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim).

Youthful Triple Crowners

Margaret Rivard

• Catalina Channel in 14 hours 8 minutes in August 2021 at the age of 14
• 20 Bridges in 8 hours 26 minutes in August 22 at the age of 15
• English Channel in 13 hours 37 minutes in September 2023 at the age of 16

Charlotte Samuels

• Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in 9 hours 55 minutes at the age of 16
• Catalina Channel in 20 hours 20 minutes in August 2014 at the age of 16
• English Channel in 20 hours 44 minutes in September 2014 at the age of 16

Maya Merhige

• Catalina Channel in 10 hours 48 minutes in September 2021 at the age of 14
• 20 Bridges in 8 hours 43 minutes in July 2023 at the age of 15
• English Channel in 11 hours 39 minutes in July 2024 at the age of 16

For more information on the youngest 10 Triple Crowners, visit the Marathon Swimmers Federation database here.

Merhige also helped raised money for cancer research on behalf of Swim Across America.

Merhige completed the swim in 11 hours 39 minutes on July 13th.

For more information on the youngest (and oldest) Triple Crowners, visit the Marathon Swimmers Federation database here.

“We are beyond proud of Maya and her determination and grit to swim these swims,” said Maya’s mom Liz Tung to SwimSwam. “We never imagined Maya, who was just nine years old when she swam her first Swim Across America – San Francisco open water swim, would find such a passion for open water swimming and take her swimming so far. Earning the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming at just 16 years old is just incredible! We are thrilled for her.”

Her joy was certainly visible on the boat ride back to England from Cap Gris Nez on France.

Merhige posted on her Instagram, “It feels so special to complete this swim for more reasons than I can list. It was the first swim in the back of my head when I heard about open water swimming at seven years old, and one of the first ones I signed up for way back in 2021 when I did my first of the Triple Crown [swims]. This has been a long process, which makes this win even more rewarding.”

Donations on her behalf go directly to the Swim Across America San Francisco beneficiary, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals.

Her support crew included her father Chris Merhige, English Channel swimmer Kelly Gentry, escort boat captain Stuart Gleeson, co-pilot Sean Marsh, and observer Jon Miell while her mother Liz Tung, sister Lucy, and other family members stayed on dryland in England.

Her charity swimming career began when she was nine in order to support family friend Susan Helmrich and the Swim Across America event in San Francisco for pediatric cancer research. Over the years, her involvement has increased so much so that at the age of 15, she began serving as president of the Swim Across America – San Francisco Junior Advisory Board with a personal goal to raise more than $125,000 to support cancer research for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals.

To make a donation to Swim Across America, visit swimacrossamerica.org/maya.

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