Avram Iancu becomes 13th swimmer in the world to cross English Channel breaststroke
Avram Iancu swims English Channel breaststroke, becomes first Romanian to do it and the 13th swimmer in the world to be listed among athletes who have successfully completed such a challenge.
According to initial footage posted on the Petrosani librarian's Facebook page, his support team announced that the English Channel crossing was completed in 24 hours and 46 minutes. The official time is to be validated by the two race observers.
After reaching the boat carrying the observers and his support team, Avram Iancu thanked them for their efforts in accompanying him.
The English Channel swim began on Sunday from a beach near Dover, UK. The Petrosani librarian said at the time that he expected the swim to be long and difficult.
'Somewhere around 20 hours, during which I will experience physical pain and mental discomfort that is difficult to describe in words, especially because I will be swimming breaststroke, which has some tremendous limitations. I cannot immerse myself and lose myself in my thoughts as I can when swimming long-distance freestyle,' Iancu wrote on his social media page on Sunday.
The organisers, the Channel Swimming & Pilots Federation, appointed two official observers for this swim, compared with just one for standard crossings. Their role was to ensure that all the rules were followed so that the result could be ratified.
Through this swim, which was completed without a wetsuit, Avram Iancu also aimed to mark his 50th birthday.
He has already achieved several feats in open-water swimming, having crossed the English Channel freestyle, without a wetsuit, in August 2016 and July 2024.
His achievements also include swimming the entire length of the Danube in 2017, covering 2,860 kilometres from its source to the Black Sea.
In July 2022, Iancu became the first Romanian to swim across the Bristol Channel in the UK. In 2023, he swam the length of the Rhine, and in August 2025, he swam across Germany's Main River, between the Rhine and Danube. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Sorin Blada; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)
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