Woman swims Florida Straits

64-year-old: You are never too old to chase dream

American 64-year-old long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad became the first person to swim across the Florida Straits from Cuba without a shark cage on Monday, succeeding on her fifth attempt at the feat.

Her face sunburned and lips swollen, with barely enough energy to speak, Nyad waded ashore at Key West, Florida, after a 53-hour swim and told onlookers: "We should never, ever give up ... You're never too old to chase your dreams."

In an inspiration to baby boomers everywhere, Nyad completed the estimated 160-km journey after departing from Havana on Saturday morning. She set a record for the longest ocean swim without a shark cage or flippers, according to her crew.

She was met by crowds in Key West who surrounded her, snapping photos, as they enjoyed sunny beach weather on the Labor Day holiday.

Helpers immediately placed Nyad on a stretcher and hydrated her with an IV before she was taken to a hospital.

The stinging sea life that had plagued her four previous attempts to swim the Florida Straits - and the attempts of other swimmers trying to complete the same stretch - failed to appear until the final hours of her journey.

Nyad had been trying to achieve the crossing for 35 years, describing it on her website as her "Xtreme Dream", and seemed determined to prove the Beatles were right that there is plenty to live for "when I'm 64".

"With all the experience I have in this ocean, I never knew I would suffer the way I did," Nyad told CNN in an interview.

The first day was especially difficult because of winds and "even people with iron will quit when it's really tough", said Nyad, her lips swollen from exposure and from the mouthpiece of a prosthetic mask used to protect her from deadly box jellyfish. She said she told herself, "Forget about surface up ... With your left hand push Cuba back and push Florida toward you."

Dave Magmone, whose boat was used to prepare Nyad's meals, said: "She has a mental and physical strength like no one I have ever known. She is an example for all people, regardless of their age."

Older women and men have been inspired in recent years by a wave of older athletes breaking records and snagging headlines.

Last year, then Colorado Rockies player Jamie Moyer, now 50, became the oldest pitcher in Major League Baseball history to win a game. Canadian Ed Whitlock, now 82, shattered records when he ran the 2012 Toronto Marathon in 3 hours 30 minutes. Dana Torres in 2008 at age 41 became the oldest US female swimmer to win an Olympic medal.

Reuters-AP

(China Daily 09/04/2013 page10)