15°c Overcast
11°c Cloudy with clear breaks
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
New swim triumph for quadruple amputee
El Yaakoubi Aziz / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Quadruple amputee Philippe Croizon arrives at Dalia Beach in northern Morocco after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar. (CP)
DALIA, Morocco -- A quadruple amputee successfully swam across the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco Thursday as part of an effort to swim between all the world's continents.
Philippe Croizon, who lost his arms and legs in an electrical accident, has already swum the English Channel as well as between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, and between Asia and Africa in the Gulf of Aqaba.
Croizon, a French citizen, swims with the aid of prosthetic flippers attached to his leg stumps and a snorkel to breathe through. He made the 14-kilometre crossing from Tarifa, Spain, in just over five hours with a friend, Arnaud Chassery.
Croizon said upon his arrival near the city of Tangiers he is trying to link the continents of the world with his swimming to show "we are all together on the same planet."
"We have proven that an able-bodied person and a handicapped person can link the five continents together by swimming. We've proven that we are all the same, that there are no differences, whatever the politics, the skin colour, the religion or the handicap," Croizon said.
The swimmer's arms and legs were amputated after he suffered an electric shock in 1994 as he stood on a ladder adjusting his television antenna, which touched a power line.
Croizon was greeted by friends and well-wishers, as well as his mother Monique Croizon, and they celebrated by waving French and Moroccan flags on the picturesque beach.
"The crossing was quite difficult. We had to swim more than I'm used to. I'm used to long distances but that was a really long distance. There were strong currents," he said. "My back was hurting for a while, but I really wanted this and we've completed the third of our swims."
Croizon plans a swim across a section of the Bering Strait, which although a shorter distance, is made harder by the near-freezing water. He hopes to make that crossing next month, depending on the weather and sea conditions.
-- The Associated Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 13, 2012 A19
More World
- Back to Top
- Return to World
More World
(1 of 28 articles for today)
Roman Polanski laments levelling of sexes as 'idiotic' at Cannes Film Festival
2:38 PM 0
Poll
Most Popular World
- Driver horrified by scene in rearview mirror after load hits I-5 bridge, road falls into river
- Bridge collapse survivor who fell in river: 'You hold on as tight as you can'
- Canadian Press NewsAlert: More arrests in British soldier stabbing
- Female suicide bomber injures 18 in Russian region of Dagestan
- At least 7 Filipino marines, 5 Abu Sayyaf militants killed in clash in southern Philippines
- Distraught mom who carried daughter to safety becomes the face of the storm
- French soldier stabbed in throat outside Paris; unclear yet if any link to UK attack
- Gay teen charged for having younger girlfriend
- Truck's load strikes girder despite permits
- 2 arrested on suspicion of endangering aircraft after jets intercept UK-bound Pakistan plane
- Bridge collapse survivor who fell in river: 'You hold on as tight as you can'
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Brave woman tried to calm London attackers and reasoned with them before police came
- Search for survivors of Oklahoma tornado nearly complete, as homeowners confront devastation
- Man shot to death in Fla. while being questioned in Boston Marathon bombing investigation
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Muslim hard-liners ID suspect seen in video after British soldier killed in London
- Polish man gets quick face transplant in what doctors say was life-saving decision
- Rare comic book featuring debut of Superman found insulating abandoned house in Minnesota
- Driver horrified by scene in rearview mirror after load hits I-5 bridge, road falls into river
- Amanda Berry, 1 of 3 women freed after held captive in Ohio home, arrives at sister's home
- Bridge collapse survivor who fell in river: 'You hold on as tight as you can'
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Friendship with bomb suspect, complex chain of events leads to 3 being charged
- Police vow to solve shooting that wounded 19 people during Mother's Day parade in New Orleans
- Missing Pa. woman, last seen dropping off kids for school in 2002, surfaces in Fla.
- Cleveland police: Ohio captive suffered 5 miscarriages after being beaten and starved
- Brave woman tried to calm London attackers and reasoned with them before police came
- Jodi Arias convicted of first-degree murder, says she prefers death penalty
- Neighbours: Man in custody comforted missing girl's mom, helped search for missing US women
- Driver horrified by scene in rearview mirror after load hits I-5 bridge, road falls into river
- At least 7 Filipino marines, 5 Abu Sayyaf militants killed in clash in southern Philippines
- Mistrial in penalty phase of Arias case sets up whole new proceeding to decide punishment
- Chile blocks Pascua-Lama mine, fines Barrick $16M for environmental violations.
- Bridge collapse survivor who fell in river: 'You hold on as tight as you can'
- Rare comic book featuring debut of Superman found insulating abandoned house in Minnesota
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Driver horrified by scene in rearview mirror after load hits I-5 bridge, road falls into river
- Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of rock group The Doors, dies at 74 from cancer
- Argentina's 'dirty war' dictator dies
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- At least 7 Filipino marines, 5 Abu Sayyaf militants killed in clash in southern Philippines
- Up to 60 people injured when car drives into Va. parade; medical emergency possible cause
- Officials announce 1 winning ticket sold in Fla. on record Powerball jackpot topping $590M
- Bridge collapse survivor who fell in river: 'You hold on as tight as you can'
- Rare comic book featuring debut of Superman found insulating abandoned house in Minnesota
- 'Coronation Street' actor William Roache charged in UK over alleged rapes in 1967
- Coroner: 5-year-old boy shoots 2-year-old sister in US with rifle he got as a gift
- Hitler ate well, his food taster recalls
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Female guards, rapidly growing in numbers, at heart of U.S. prison scandal
- Driver horrified by scene in rearview mirror after load hits I-5 bridge, road falls into river
- US tourists swim for nearly 14 hours after boat sinks near St. Lucia
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.