Minister of Youth and Sports Dimitar Iliev met with swimmer Tsanko Tsankov, who swam 37 kilometres from Santa Catalina Island to Los Angeles. Tsankov covered the distance in 10 hours, 33 minutes and 29 seconds.
The 36-year-old Burgasian introduced Minister Iliev to his preparation method and his main goal – to swim the seven most challenging routes of the Oceans Seven chain. Tsankov has overcome two of them so far – the distance from Santa Catalina to Los Angeles and the Strait of Gibraltar.
Minister Iliev congratulated the Bulgarian swimmer for his achievement and wished him success in his following challenges.
Breaking the boundaries, Bulgarian swimmer Tsanko Tsankov made history by conquering a gruelling 36-kilometer or 22.369-mile swim from Catalina Island to Los Angeles. His incredible journey took 10 hours, 33 minutes, and 29 seconds, facing colossal waves and icy waters.
Tsankov braved huge waves at water temperatures of 15-18° C during the night. During the first hour, he went into hypothermic shock and had several crises, but he never gave up. The race, on the World Open Water Swimming Association, WOWSA calendar, is one of the seven most difficult open-water marathons and dates back 127 years.
Between 1927 and 2014, a total of 370 swimmers, including 235 men and 135 women (36.5%) and 235 men (63.6%), crossed the ‘Catalina Channel’.
The world record for completing the fastest Santa Catalina swim Marathon is 7 hours, 55 minutes and 16 seconds, achieved by Hank Wise, the American swimmer in 2018. Over the past 80 years, more than 200 people have completed this swimming marathon, among the seven most challenging open-water marathons.
Tsankov completed the challenge in 10 hours, 33 minutes and 29 seconds and made another astonishing record making the country proud. He swam the Burgas Bay in 14 hours.