Avram Iancu finishes race on Main-Danube Canal: 'I am the first person to swim across Europe'

Librarian Avram Iancu of Petrosani has completed his swim across Germany's Main-Danube Canal, connecting the Rhine and Danube rivers a feat that, he says, makes him the first person in the world to swim across Europe's main waterways, from the North Sea to the Black Sea, inform Agerpres.

The athlete covered the 556 km route in 40 days without a wetsuit, finishing Friday evening at the confluence with the Danube.

"I managed to swim across the entire continent! Without a wetsuit. A world first: from the North Sea to the Black Sea. I thus became the first person to swim across a continent, following the famous Rhine-Main-Danube waterway," Iancu wrote on his official Facebook page.

The swim, held under the motto "Swimming for a United Europe," could earn him the "The World's First 'Triple Crown of Rivers Stage Swims' Challenge" award, granted by open-water swimming organizations.

Iancu was accompanied by Ulise Galu of Brasov, who piloted the support boat, and Radu Ileana of Alba Iulia, the official race observer.

Across his three major swims the Danube, the Rhine, and the Main-Danube Canal Iancu swam a total of 4,448 km in 177 days, all without a wetsuit.

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In 2017, the librarian from Petrosani swam the entire Danube 2,860 km in 89 days marking the 10th anniversary of Romania's EU membership. In 2023, he swam the Rhine 1,032 km in 48 days to support Romania's entry into the Schengen Area. The last race in this series, the one on the Main-Danube Canal, was 556 km long and ended after 40 days.

Among Avram Iancu's open water swimming achievements is the crossing of the English Channel without a wetsuit, in August 2016 and July 2024.