American athlete Rob Lea has become the world's first person to complete the "Double Seven" challenge — seven channels and summits across seven continents — after a 40-kilometre swim between Japan's Honshu and Hokkaido islands, local media reported on Wednesday.
Lea achieved the feat of crossing seven of the world's most difficult open-water channels on Tuesday after swimming across the Tsugaru Strait, which separates Japan's main island from Hokkaido in the country's far north, in 11 hours, 43 minutes and 35 seconds, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.
The target channels for the "Oceans Seven" challenge also include the Strait of Gibraltar, which connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, while the peaks for the "Seven Summits" include Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain.
Lea left Nakadomari in Aomori Prefecture, at the northern end of Japan's main island of Honshu, on Tuesday morning and arrived on the coast of Fukushima in Hokkaido about half a day later.
The waterway is known for its strong currents, making it one of the world's most difficult channels to swim.
