Zhang Jian to Defy English ChannelZhang Jian who successfully swam across the Bohai Straits last year will challenge the English Channel in July or August this year, wishing to be the first Chinese conquering the channel.Since 1875, some 6,000 stalwart swimmers have attempted to cross the English Channel from Dover of Britain to Calais of France, over a distance of 33.8 km. Of these, about 800 achieved their goals. Zhang Jian went on spot inspection of the English Channel this month and said that though the channel is only one third of the Bohai Straits in width, it still challenges for seawater in this sea area is cold, about 15¡æ perennially, and ocean current shows great changes. Zhang Jian, a 37-year-old teacher of Physical Culture in Beijing University, has long been engaged in the Iron Man Triathlon. He swam across the 29.5-km-long Qiongzhou Straits with a time of nine hours 19 minutes and 52 seconds in 1988; set a world record by challenging the 123.58-km-long Bohai Straits with a time of 50 hours and 22 minutes in August of 2000. By PD Online Staff Deng Gang |
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