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Spanish long-distance swimmer David Meca swims before arriving at Sant Antoni, in the Spanish Balearic Island of Ibiza, January 5, 2006. Meca, 30, completed a 26-hour non-stop crossing from the Spanish mainland town of Javea to Sant Antoni in a 110 km odyssey, overcoming bouts of vomitting and swarms of jellyfish to do so. PHOTO - REUTERS |
SANT ANTONI, Spain - Spanish long distance swimmer David Meca completed a 26-hour non-stop crossing from the Spanish mainland to the island of Ibiza last Thursday, overcoming bouts of vomiting and swarms of jellyfish to do so. Meca, who swam crawl using only his arms to save energy, was accompanied by three support boats carrying medical staff. Wearing a neoprene suit to help him withstand the cold, the 30-year-old swimmer had to be helped out of the water at the end of his 110 km (68 miles) ordeal. The Javea-Ibiza odyssey is the longest yet for the swimmer, who has already crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and swum from the prison island of Alcatraz to San Francisco harbour with shackles on his feet. Meca won gold in the 25 km (15 miles) open water event at the world swimming championships in Montreal last summer. Reuters
