Endurance athlete Neil Agius ascended a beach ladder unaided at Għar Lapsi at 9.40pm on Monday, finalising a world record 140km continuous swim around Malta, Gozo, and Comino. A large crowd erupted into prolonged applause as the 38-year-old approached a chair, waving to well-wishers after exceeding his previous world record distance of 125.7km set in 2021. “It wasn’t a swim for me; it was a swim for Malta,” Agius remarked briefly, appearing surprisingly well after having been in the water for three days and three nights. Belgian ultra-athlete Matthieu Bonne swam 131km around Greece in 60 hours and 55 minutes last year, but his record awaits official verification.
Doctors swiftly examined Agius before he walked up the slipway amid the ongoing cheers of the crowd. Those greeting him included Prime Minister Robert Abela and MPs from both sides of the political spectrum. European Parliament president Roberta Metsola stated in a Facebook post that this was a superhuman achievement and Neil Agius was “The embodiment of ‘Never Give Up’. An inspiration to all of us.”
His swim must now be officially recognised by the World Open Water Swimming Association, the governing body for this extreme endurance sport. Agius began his challenge on Saturday at Mellieħa’s Għadira Bay just after 9am. By 2pm on Sunday, he had swum clockwise around Malta, reached Gozo, and was circling the sister island, heading back to Malta. By 7.45am on Monday, he had completed 75% of the planned swim. He was encouraged along the way by supporters on a small fleet of boats. Agius set his own record in 2021 when he swam from Linosa to Malta, covering a distance of 125.7km and finishing in Xlendi, Gozo. This was Agius’ first attempt at surpassing that record after having to abandon a similar swim in Spain last year. Agius utilised the swim to raise awareness about the condition of Malta’s marine environment in partnership with NGO Wave of Change and marine clean-up specialists Żibel.
Żibel organised three coastal clean-ups during the swim, though the third and final one scheduled for Monday had to be postponed due to inclement weather. Up to now, the initiative has resulted in approximately 790kg of marine debris being collected by volunteers who assembled in Spinola Bay, St Julian’s on Saturday, and in St Thomas Bay, Marsascala, on Sunday.
The Prime Minister and Sports Minister Clifton Grima were among those who welcomed Neil Agius.
