A new world record for swimming from Northern Ireland to Scotland has been claimed.
29-year-old Jordan Leckey, from Portadown in Co Armagh, made the lengthy swim from Donaghadee, Northern Ireland, to Portpatrick in a world record time of 9 hours, 9 minutes and 30 seconds.
After beating the 9 hour 34-minute record set in 2013 by US swimmer Michell Macy, Jordan celebrated his impressive accomplishment with a personal favourite of his – a jam sandwich and a pint of Guinness.
Jordan talked of the mental strains in beginning of the swim, and how he prepared for over a year for the challenge.
He said: “The first two hours were the toughest because you’re just starting and haven’t got into the mental swing of things. You’re having all these doubts, thinking it’s really cold, it’s really far and am I actually going to be able to make it.
“After a while your body gets numb to the cold but the first hours you feel it.”
Along the 9-hour swim, Jordan was only able to enjoy the views underneath him and was unfortunate enough to be stung in the toe by a jelly fish. However, his father who was on the boat monitoring his swim told his son that there dolphins and seals in the Irish sea.
Leckey was able to enjoy those views on the way back, and he paid tribute to the support he received from Infinity Channel Swimming and followed tradition of the people who have previously made the swim by signing his name on the Pier 36 restaurant wall in Donaghadee.
Infinity Director, Jacqueline McClelland said that in the final stretch of the swim they knew that Jordan’s attempt could be a potential world record.
She said: “We knew eight hours in that in terms of speed and tidal changes there was the chance of a record by Mr Leckey, but we kept it under our hats as crew.
“With about one kilometre to go we told him to leave it all in the water and by goodness, he took off like a machine.”
Jordan’s record attempt has been submitted for ratification with the Irish Long Distance Swimming Association and the Guinness Book of Records.
There are 19 swimmers booked in and waiting to complete the swim this year, but there are only 3 more potential windows of opportunity to complete it due to expected weather conditions.
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