The relationship between nationality and performance in successful attempts to swim across the ‘english channel’ – a retrospective data analysis from 1875 to 2012

Objective: To investigate participation and performance trends regarding the nationality of successful solo swimmers (513 women and 1,167 men) in the ‘English Channel Swim’. Methods: The nationality and the total swimming times were analyzed for all swimmers who successfully crossed the English Channel from 1875 to 2012. Results: The number of successful swimmers increased exponentially across years in both women and men. The highest number of successful female and male swimmers lived in Great Britain, followed by athletes living in the USA and in Australia. The annual fastest women and men improved their swimming times across years. The sex difference in performance remained unchanged at 15 ± 12%. Between 2001 and 2012, the annual fastest three women and men were not able to improve their swimming times. Men achieved 541 ± 57 min and were 55 ± 47 min (13 ± 7%) faster than women with 596 ± 37 min. Regarding the nationality of the successful swimmers, female swimmers from Great Britain achieved most of the annual fastest swimming times ahead of athletes from the USA and Australia. In men, British swimmers achieved most of the annual fastest swimming times ahead of swimmers from Egypt and the USA. Considering the ten fastest swimmers per country, female swimmers from Australia were the fastest ahead of athletes from USA and Great Britain. In men, the ten fastest swimming times were achieved by swimmers living in the USA, Great Britain and Australia. Conclusions: Women and men from Great Britain, Australia and the United States of America represented the largest number of successful solo swimmers in the ‘English Channel Swims’. Additionally, swimmers from these countries achieved the fastest swimming times.