Of all the 50 athletes who qualified for the historic Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, perhaps known is better known in the open water community than Bulgarian Petar Stoychev. Stoychev not only will swim the 1500-meter freestyle and the 10K marathon swim at the Beijing Olympics, but he also set the English Channel one-way record in 6 hours 57 minutes and was the best pro marathon swimmer for 7 straight years.
Stoychev has traveled the world and won the most prestigious and difficult open water swims in the world, from cold Lake St Jean in Quebec, Canada to the 88-kilometer river swims in Argentina.
At the Beijing press conference after his Olympic qualification swim, Stoychev said, "There is nothing to compare with this [Beijing marathon swim] venue. I am sure the Olympics will be excellent."
Photo by Pei Qingsheng.
Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association
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