Hiroko Ashikawa

Hiroko Ashikawa feeding with escort kayaker and coach in the Molokai Channel en route to Oahu

Finish on the Japanese mainland after an 11 hour 31 minute Sado Island channel crossing

Hiroko Ashikawa is a Japanese open water swimmer who is attempting 7 channel swims of the Oceans Seven.

Open Water Swimming Highlights

She had a shark encounter on 1 April 2018 and had to abandon her Molokai Channel attempt 7 km from the finish on Oahu.
She was not able to start her Tsugaru Channel attempt in 2017.
She participated in a successful 40 km Sado Island channel crossing from Sado Island to Niigata Prefecture on Honshu, Japan on 30 May 2018, finishing in 11 hours 31 minutes 21 seconds together with Chie Hitomi, Yuichi Nakagawa, Takayuki Tsutsui, Takeshi Yoshida, Soda Ken, Keiko Sasaki, Hiroyuki Matsuura and Youri Lavoine with team leader Masayuki Moriya in 11 hours 31 minutes 21 seconds after starting on Sado Island in the Sea of Japan and heading across currents to the western shores of Honshu on the Japanese mainland.
On 4 August 2018, she attempted a 35 km crossing of the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland, but aborted the swim early.
On 21 October 2020, Team Ocean Navi relay members Chika Nishibori, Kumiko Koizumi, Minori Tanaka, Syuji Nao, Hiroko Ashikawa, Rie Tamai, Yuki Tsunoda, Tomoko Tamura, Syusei Uzawa and Kenji Kambe with observer Masayuki Moriya and crew member Honma Motoko crossed the 42 km Sado Channel in 15 hours 16 minutes 17 seconds.