HARDIMAN SET TO SWIM ENGLISH CHANNEL
17 Aug 2009
Wheelchair user Rosalinda Hardiman is set to attempt a solo swim across the English Channel after being unable to finish the challenge last year by just 0.7 miles
The 57-year-old was disabled by poliomyelitis in early childhood yet will attempt one of the greatest sporting challenges. She is set to join an elite group of swimmers as fewer people have swum the Channel than have climbed Mount Everest.
In 2006 and 2007 she was a member of the successful Channel relay reams and in 2007 she swam the 11-mile length of Lake Windermere solo in seven hours and thirty two minutes.
She was a successful pool swimmer and represented Great Britain at European and IPC World Championships and at the Atlanta and Sydney Paralympic Games and now set her sights firmly on achieving her dream of swimming across the Channel.
Hardiman has been training all year for this attempt and she has been attending regular training sessions in Dover harbour which consists of up to eight hours in the water.
In 2008 Hardiman attempted the solo swim and after spending 25 hours in the water she was forced to abandon her challenge because of the cold and her physical exhaustion.
She is set to take part in her second attempt between 26th August – 5th September.
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