New open water swimming world record!
In covering 131 kilometres without stopping, Matthieu Bonne broke the open water swimming world record previously held by Malta's Neil Agius with 125.7 kilometres.
Matthieu Bonne is an extreme sportsman and this is not his first accomplishment. Having already crossed the English Channel and swum the entire Belgian coastline, this lifeguard has also become a popular figure in Flanders thanks to his appearances on the VRT television show "Kamp Waes".
The 29-year-old from Ostend already had a world endurance record to his name, having achieved the feat of completing eight full triathlons on the eight Canary Islands in eight successive days in 2022.
For his latest endurance world record attempt, Matthieu Bonne chose the Gulf of Corinth in Greece as he could swim more than 100 kilometres in a straight line, and the water is much warmer there than in the North Sea.
His gamble paid off, as he covered 131 kilometres in the Gulf of Corinth in 60 hours and 55 minutes.
He was no doubt able to invoke the support of the Greek god Poseidon to accomplish this superhuman challenge!