Maltese swimmer Neil Agius has completed the daunting 100 km swim between Sicily and St Julian’s, more than six hours ahead of schedule.

He left from Ragusa yesterday at 5.15am and was expected to reach the San Giljan waterpolo club at 4pm, but arrived at around 9.15am to rounds of applause and celebration by many people who had gathered at the club (see video).

In all, the swim lasted 28 hours.

Agius, 34, did the feat as part of the “Wave of Change” campaign, a campaign which raises awareness and educates people about the problems of sea plastic pollution.

Upon his arrival, Agius had words of encouragement for others who want to challenge themselves.

His message is that anyone can do anything they want, even if it is not this extreme, the smallest things count too, he said.

Videos/photos: Alenka Falzon

He said he hopes this will inspire others to try to do something, even something as small as going for a walk. 

'I'm super happy," he told journalists who crowded on the shore while he "rested" in the water.

The first thing he was going to do now, he said, is to go meet his friends. "I will go and have a beer," he said, after having dedicated the last five months to prepare for the event.

He said that the most difficult part of the challenge was around 4am this morning. "I had been in the water for nearly 24 hours, and I was feeling cold," he said. But it never crossed his mind to give up.

There were moments when he said he laughed, or cried, or thought of trying to make it back to Sicily. 

Prior to this challenge, Neil was also the first to swim non-stop around the Maltese islands, and this open sea water challenge will be the sixth longest open sea water swim ever recorded worldwide in the current Neutral Category as per the Marathon Swimming Federation.

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