Famous British ultramarathon swimmer Andy Donaldson has broken the world record by swimming 55 km in 11 hours and 51 minutes. The 35-year-old Scotsman achieved his feat in the crocodile-infested waters of Australia's Ord River, The Guardian reports. Earlier, a Russian woman swam under the ice of Lake Baikal.
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Donaldson's swim began at 5:38 a.m., while it was still dark. The swimmer set a good pace and managed to cover a decent distance before sunrise, when the air around him heated up to 91 degrees Fahrenheit. The athlete's team, in boats, accompanied him the entire way.
Andy Donaldson and his team knew the dangers that awaited them, because the Ord River has a population of 5,500 freshwater crocodiles – one for every 10 meters of his swim. One huge 2.5-meter specimen even witnessed the start of the Scot before his longest single swim in history (Donaldson improved the result of Simone Blazer, who first swam this distance in 2024 in 16 hours 13 minutes, and this time was part of the support group for the record holder).
During Donaldson's swim, he admitted, it was a little reassuring that freshwater crocodiles are quite peaceful and usually do not attack people. But the problem was that in addition to freshwater crocodiles, their counterparts who generally prefer to live in salt water were increasingly found in the river. The latter are aggressive and already pose a real threat to people. Because of this, people living on the banks have already stopped swimming in certain sections of the Ord River.
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“Fear makes your eyes big,” the athlete noted after the swim. “Yes, the locals use the river for recreation. But you still get a little nervous when you swim surrounded by wildlife. Every time you see an animal, touch something in the water, you get a rush of adrenaline.”
“I've swam in amazing places all over the world, like Hawaii, Greece, and Croatia. But I will say without a doubt that this was the best swim of my life. It's the most beautiful place to swim I've ever seen. It was just incredible.”
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— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) April 29, 2026
Donaldson, who was born in Scotland and now lives in Perth, Australia, is considered one of the world's leading ultramarathoners. He holds several world records. In particular, in 2023 he became the first person to conquer the famous Oceans Seven swimming marathon, which involves swimming seven ocean straits in one year.
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Previously, “FACTS” reported that Ukrainian Kateryna Sadurska broke the world record by diving 82 meters underwater.
Photo by Ben Brody