site.btaSwimmer Petar Stoychev Becomes First Bulgarian to Complete 3 Oceans Seven Marathons

Petar Stoychev became the first Bulgarian to swim the Strait of Gibraltar under the rules of Oceans seven - with a textile swimsuit, without neoprene. Thus, he became the first Bulgarian swimmer to successfully complete three of the seven most difficult marathons in the world, forming Oceans Seven. 

Stoychev covered the distance from the European coast in the Spanish city of Tarifa to the African coast in Morocco in 3 hours and 46 minutes. The distance covered was 16.4 km.

"I am happy that it was completed successfully and thank each and every one of you for your respect and support. I can proudly say that I am now the only Bulgarian to have swum three Oceans Seven marathons - the English Channel, the Cook Strait and the Strait of Gibraltar. Four more marathons to go. I plan to swim the Moloka'i Channel in Hawaii in May - the longest and toughest marathon of the seven," said Stoychev, quoted by Sport PR Events Management.

The other Oceans Seven marathons are the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland, the Tsugaru Strait in Japan and the Catalina Channel between Santa Catalina Island and Los Angeles.

In March, Stoychev became the first Bulgarian to swim the Cook Strait, connecting the South and North Islands of New Zealand. 

The current year is shaping up to be an extremely successful one for the Bulgarian, recognized as the world's most successful marathon swimmer. Stoychev was recently selected by the International Swimming Federation (World Aquatics) to be part of the Swimming Technical Committee team for the Olympic Games in Paris. This is the first time a Bulgarian has been nominated in this role. After four appearances as a competitor, in France Stoychev will take part in his fifth Olympic Games, but now in a new role.