Greek ultra swimmer Spyros Chrysikopoulos, known for his two Guinness world records, has completed an incredible swim in the open sea from Greece to Italy on September 1, 2026.
According to a post on his Facebook fan page, Chrysikopoulos becomes the first person in record to achieve the extraordinary feat.
Starting from the Greek island of Othonoi, the westernmost point of Greece, he swam for 31 hours and 50 minutes to reach Santa Maria di Leuca on the Italian shore, covering 91.4 kms in distance as he pushed the absolute limits of human endurance.
Greek ultra swimmer breaks two Guinness World Records in 4 years
This is not the first time that Spyros Chrysikopoulos garners international acclaim for completing a record-breaking swim.
In July 2025, the Greek athlete broke the Guinness World Record for the longest swimming distance in 48 hours in a 50m pool, covering an astonishing 151 kilometers (approximately 94 miles) without any pause for rest of sleep.
His first Guinness World Record, achieved in 2021, saw Spyros Chrysikopoulos swim an incredible 358.2 kilometers in 7 days. Yet, in his own words, the 2025 48-hour challenge was “more difficult and more demanding” than his previous 7-day record.
In the swim between Greece and Italy, Spyros Chrysikopoulos not only had to swim for a day and a half without sleep, but also to cross a dangerous and wavy open sea, vulnerable to changing environmental conditions.
Two judges were watching the Greek ultra swimmer’s efforts from a distance to witness his accomplishment for international institutions such as the Marathon Swimmers Federation.
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