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| Sarah Thomas: Woman first to swim Channel four times non-stop | Sarah Thomas: Woman first to swim Channel four times non-stop |
| (41 minutes later) | |
| An American woman has become the first person to swim the English Channel four times non-stop. | An American woman has become the first person to swim the English Channel four times non-stop. |
| Sarah Thomas, 37, began the epic challenge in the early hours of Sunday and finished after more than 54 hours. | Sarah Thomas, 37, began the epic challenge in the early hours of Sunday and finished after more than 54 hours. |
| The open water ultra marathon swimmer - who completed treatment for breast cancer a year ago - dedicated her swim to "all the survivors out there". | The open water ultra marathon swimmer - who completed treatment for breast cancer a year ago - dedicated her swim to "all the survivors out there". |
| Ms Thomas was pushed back by strong tides on the final leg but finished on Tuesday at about 06:30 BST. | Ms Thomas was pushed back by strong tides on the final leg but finished on Tuesday at about 06:30 BST. |
| Only four swimmers had previously crossed the Channel three times without stopping. Before Ms Thomas no-one had ever completed a fourth leg. | |
| Last year she had treatment for breast cancer and her support team said she "used the swimming as her means of coping with the treatment". | |
| 'Absolutely inspirational' | |
| The swim was due to last about 80 miles but because of the tides Ms Thomas ended up swimming closer to 130 miles. | |
| Official observer Kevin Murphy said: "It is a triumph, she has tested the limits of endurance. | |
| "It is amazing, absolutely inspirational. At the end we were very emotional." | |
| Ms Thomas celebrated entering the record books, and making dry land at Dover, with champagne and chocolates. | |
| She completed her first open-water event in 2007 and first swam across the Channel in 2012 and then again in 2016. | |
| On the eve of the swim, on Saturday night, she admitted in a Facebook post that she was "scared" by the challenge. | |
| She added: "I've been waiting for this swim for over two years now and have fought so hard to get here. | |
| "Am I 100%? No. But I'm the best that I can be right now, with what I've been through, with more fire and fight than ever." |