Lesbian long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad has swum from Cuba to Florida without flippers or a shark cage, the first ever to do so, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Nyad reached shore on Sept 2. The swim took Nyad 53 hours and was her fifth attempt. She is 64-years-old and has been trying to complete the crossing for 35 years.
“We should never, ever give up,” Nyad told onlookers as she reached the shore in Key West. “You never are too old to chase your dreams.”
After the 180–kilometre swim, Nyad was hooked up to an IV for rehydration and taken to a hospital.
Nyad’s team said this attempt was successful due to good weather, cooperative currents and little interference from the deadly box jellyfish that have foiled previous attempts.
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