US swimmer criss-crosses English Channel

LONDON: An American breast cancer survivor on Tuesday became the first person to swim across the English Channel four times non-stop in a 54-hour feat of endurance.

Sarah Thomas, 37, an open water marathon swimmer from the US state of Colorado, could be seen in a video posted on Facebook arriving at Dover on the southern English coast with a group of supporters cheering her on.

"I feel a little sick," she is heard saying following the herculean effort, which reportedly saw her cover close to 130 miles due to strong tides. Only four swimmers have previously completed the approximately 21-mile Channel crossing between Britain and France three times without stopping.

"I´m really just pretty numb. There was a lot of people on the beach to meet me and wish me well and it was really nice of them, but I feel just mostly stunned." Thomas said the hardest part was dealing with the salt water, which left her throat and mouth sore, while she also got stung in the face by a jellyfish.