Photo courtesy of www.theguardian.com
In her fifth attempt swimming from Cuba to Florida, 64 year-old swimmer Diana Nyad made history and completed the 53 hour swim. She becomes the first person to complete the swim without the use of a shark cage.
I cannot begin to comprehend how tired Nyad must have been when she reached the Florida shore with spectators cheering her on. As mentioned above, the swim took a whooping 53 hours and she is 64 years old. I am 20 and can barely swim four laps in a 25 yard swimming pool.
Nyad has attempted this same swim four times previously. In her last attempt in 2012, storms cut her swim short and she was stung by jellyfish that left her puffy and swollen. This swimmer has shown much determination in her fifth try. If they hadn’t given up after their first attempt, many swimmers would have given up if they had faced a similar situation to Nyad’s.
However, the 64 year-old showed great determination and confidence as she became the first swimmer to ever complete the trek without the assistance of a shark cage. Additionally, society now stands inspired by her courageous feat that most of the world has never thought about doing themselves.
Failure and fear was no option for Nyad as she slowly but surely made the journey for the Florida shore. Just as Thomas Edison tried many times to perfect the light bulb, Nyad’s try, try, try again attitude allowed her to complete the historic event. Move over Johnny Football, Tim Tebow, and other high profile athletes; Nyad will be the talk of the sports world in the weeks to come.
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