Singapore Navy doctor Chua Jia Long, 34, has become the first Singaporean to complete the prestigious Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming — and did so in record time.
Dr Chua swam the Catalina Channel (32.2km), the 20 Bridges around Manhattan Island (48.5km), and the English Channel (33.7km) in just 23 days, breaking the previous world record of 27 days set in 2021. His achievement will be officially recorded in the global LongSwimsDB by the end of 2025.
A Swim for a Cause
- The feat is part of Dr Chua’s second fundraising campaign for St Luke’s Hospital, with a target of $1.5 million.
- So far, he has raised over $900,000, with donations open until Oct 31, 2025.
- His earlier challenge, a 192km swim in New York’s Hudson River (2023), raised more than $250,000.
The Challenges
Each swim presented unique difficulties:
- Catalina Channel: 11 hours 17 minutes, with heavy jellyfish stings and long night stretches.
- 20 Bridges (Manhattan): 7 hours 56 minutes, completed in rain, wind, and busy ferry traffic.
- English Channel: 12 hours 41 minutes, delayed by bad weather, with cold 15.8°C water, strong currents, jellyfish, and a night start at 2am.
Training and Preparation
Dr Chua trained rigorously since 2024, swimming up to nine hours at a time, with early 4:30am sessions and long weekend swims. He also spent time in the US and UK beforehand to acclimatise to cold-water conditions.
More Than a Record
While physically taxing — he fell ill after the English Channel swim — Dr Chua described his main emotions as “relief and joy”. His feat is a great testament to grit, resilience, and commitment to community care.
Donations can be made at: give.asia/tcswim
