site.btaPetar Stoychev Becomes First Bulgarian to Swim Molokai Channel

Petar Stoychev became the first Bulgarian to swim the Molocai Channel under the rules of Oceans seven - with a textile swimsuit, without neoprene. In April, he became the first Bulgarian swimmer to successfully complete three of the seven most difficult marathons in the world, forming Oceans Seven. This was his fourth completed marathon.

At a length of 45 km, Molokai Channel is the longest and the most difficult of the Oceans Seven. 

"I started swimming at 3:01 am from Kepuhi Beach on Molokai Island. I swam the distance in 18 hours and 53 minutes and finished at 9:54 pm at Makapu'u Beach on Oahu," Stoychev wrote on Facebook on Thursday. 

He said that he had to fight a strong countercurrent which slowed him down significantly. "I could see the coast for over 8 hours and could not reach it with the poor progress I was making - about a kilometre an hour. But at no point did I think of stopping and giving up," Stoychev added.

At the coast, he was welcomed by Bulgarians living in Honolulu. "They waited for me for more than 6 hours and welcomed me with the Bulgarian flag, Hawaiian wreaths and champagne," the swimmer noted.

Stoychev longest swim so far lasted 11 hours. He is now looking towards the last three marathons from the Oceans Seven.

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.