She's the first S'porean woman to swim across English Channel

Kimberly Kwek

- As Ms Li Ling Yung-Hryniewiecki set off on her mission to swim across the English Channel from Samphire Hoe near Dover in England at lam on Sunday, she could barely see what was in front of her.

Donning a regular swim suit - one that did not cover her legs and arms - the 37-year-old cut through the chilly 19 deg C waters in the dark.

With just a boat - her husband Adam Hryniewiecki and her coach Matt Duggan were on board - accompanying her, she swam for the next 12 hours and 54 minutes before arriving at Cap Gris-Nez in northern France.

The cape is the closest point of France to England - a distance of 34km.

But the celebration was put on hold until she returned to England.

Successful Channel swimmers write their names on the walls of two pubs in Dover and Ms YungHryniewiecki etched hers on one as well, before adding a significant footnote "first Singaporean woman".

Singaporean historian Thum Ping Tjin, a former national swimmer who competed in the 1996.

Olympic Games, was the first Singaporean to achieve the feat in 2005.

Briton Matthew Webb was the first recorded person to complete the swim in 1875, taking almost 22 hours.

Ms Yung-Hryniewiecki, who participated regularly in triathlons after relocating to Britain about 18 years ago, was swimming to raise funds for the Splash Foundation, a non-profit organisation in Hong Kong, where she has been living since 2019.