Mexican open-water swimmer David Olvera has completed a swim around Manhattan Island in 5 hours, 34 minutes and 58 seconds — an unofficial world record that would surpass the previous mark by nearly seven minutes.
Olvera, 31, from Ciudad Valles, San Luis Potosí, finished the 48.5-kilometer (30.1-mile) course Thursday morning, according to New York Open Water, a nonprofit that provides safety, support and funding for open-water swimming and kayaking events and competitions.
“Huge congratulations to David Olvera 🇲🇽, who powered through the night to set a new Manhattan 20 Bridges record!” New York Open Water posted on Facebook. “David crushed the previous mark of 5:41:48, touching the finish in an unofficial 5:34:58 — nearly seven minutes faster! What a fast and phenomenal swim.”
The swim is nicknamed “20 Bridges” for the number of bridges it goes under; not surprisingly, a double loop around Manhattan is called “40 Bridges.”
And, as Facebook user Alex Arevalo trumpeted in a comment on the N.Y. Open Water post, “Now both the 20B and the 40B records reside in México!”
Indeed, the “Fastest double circumnavigation swim around Manhattan Island” — at least the one certified by Guinness World Records — was set by Mexican Jaime Lomelín Gavaldón on July 5, 2023 …. at age 60! His time was 19 hours, 25 minutes and 1 second.
Olvera’s 20 Bridges swim this week broke the previous record set by Andrew Donaldson of the United Kingdom on Sept. 19, 2024.
Though Donaldson’s record is recognized by Guinness, the record-keeper has yet to ratify Olvera’s time. However, Rondi Davies, president of N.Y. Open Water, wrote in an email that it’s fully expected that Olvera’s time “will be accepted and published” by Guinness World Records.
In a post on Facebook, Donaldson referred to Olvera’s swim as “a thrilling one to follow” and “blisteringly quick.”
“Huge congrats David and your team on an outstanding performance,” he added. “A truly inspiring swim.”
The route around Manhattan Island is considered one of the world’s most challenging urban open water swims, with competitors contending with cold temperatures and strong currents.
Olvera said his preparation included 14-hour continuous swims in a pool and 10-hour sessions against the current in Mexico’s Huasteca Potosina region, an area in the state of San Luis Potosí known for its lush jungles, turquoise waterfalls, rivers, caves and canyons.
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In a post on Instagram after setting the record, Olvera wrote in Spanish: “All week I felt something different inside me. A calm, a deep instinct … as if I already knew that the only thing I could control, I had already done.
“After so many failed attempts, I finally did it. I hope you can feel the happiness that floods me right now. I’m a boy from a small town. For years, my mind was my worst enemy. It took me a long time to grow, to change, to create that unbreakable mindset. But I did it.”
Olvera has over 15 years of experience as a high-performance swimmer and used to work as an advanced instructor for Wim Hof Method, a wellness technique/breathing method.
He said his next goal is to swim from Isla Mujeres to Cozumel, a distance of approximately 83 kilometers (51.6 miles).
With reports from La Jornada, TresPM and LatinUS
