Lone swim for over 21 hours to claim record

After 20 hours and 56 minutes of nonstop swimming, Simon Holliday hauls himself up the steps of Disneyland pier, knees almost buckling, to claim a world first (see picture middle right).

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The British marathon swimmer has just survived rough seas, testing tides and cramp to become the first person to circumnavigate Hong Kong’s largest island of Lantau, a distance of more than 65km.

Closely following the 46 year old is the American Edie Hu, who is all smiles as she takes her first tentative steps on dry land after her own odyssey, lasting 21 hours and 28 minutes.

“I started getting a little loopy,” the 50-year-old Hu said. “I saw Yoda in the mountains.”