Mervyn Sharp
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Mervyn Sharp in 1982 with Philip Gollop who was the youngest at that time to cross the English Channel with his 13 hour 45 minute crossing in 1965, Jacqui Hampson who, with a time of 15 hours 32 minutes in 1982 became the youngest person to have swum across the English Channel, Greg Schofield, and Godfrey Chapman whose 13 hour 2 minute crossing made him the first Englishman to complete the Daily Mail race of 1951
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Mervyn Sharp is a British open water swimmer who was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honour Swimmer in the Class of 2006. He was the King of the Channel® from 1974-1975 who crossed the English Channel a total of 7 times.
Contents
King of the Channel®
The King of the Channel® is a title is bestowed on the man who has successfully completed more swims of the English Channel than any other. The title as well the accompanied Letona Trophy is awarded by the Channel Swimming Association. Its female equivalent is the Queen of the Channel®.
List of Kings of the Channel®
| King of the Channel® - Letona Trophy | Number of Crossings | Years Held Title |
|---|---|---|
| Captain Matthew Webb | 1 | 1875-1934 |
| Edward Temme | 2 | 1934-1951 |
| William Barnie | 3 | 1951-1960 |
| Brojen Das | 4-6 | 1960-1974 |
| Melvyn Sharp | 7 | 1974-1975 |
| Des Renford | 8-16 | 1975-1979 |
| Michael Read | 17-18 | 1979-1980 |
| Des Renford | 19 | 1980 |
| Michael Read | 20-31 | 1980-2000 |
| Kevin Murphy | 32 | 2000-2004 |
| Michael Read | 33 | 2004-2006 |
| Kevin Murphy | 34 | 2006- |
Marathon Swimming Career
- Sharp was a former King of the Channel® with seven crossings of the English Channel, done between 1967 and 1974
- On 27 August 1967, he completed a 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from France to England in 18 hours 34 minutes.
- In 1968, he completed a 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from England to France in 17 hours 52 minutes.
- In 1969, he completed a 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from England to France in 14 hours 29 minutes.
- In 1969, he completed a 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from England to France in 19 hours 41 minutes.
- On 31 July 1970, he completed a 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from England to France in 15 hours 14 minutes.
- On 7 October 1973, he completed a 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from England to France in 15 hours 17 minutes.
- On 18 July 1974, he completed a 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from England to France in 13 hours 42 minutes.
- Sharp swam 16 km (10 miles) from Lulworth Cove to Weymouth, 32 km (20 miles) in a double-crossing between Weymouth and Lulworth Cove
- Sharp swam 12.8 km (8 miles) between Torquay and Brixham
- Sharp swam 12.8 km (8 miles) in Lake Bala in Wales
- Sharp swam 48.2 km (30 miles) from Swanage to Weymouth
- Sharp swam 14.4 km (9 miles) from Swanage to Bournemouth
- Sharp swam 25 km (15.5 miles) at the 1970 Lake Windermere Championships in England
- Sharp competed in several professional marathon swims in Canada in 1971 at the age of 22 and 1972 at the age of 23 with his father including:
- 34 km (21-mile) Traversée internationale du Lac St-Jean in Canada
- 37 km (23-mile) la Descente ou remontée du Saguenay in Canada on 17 July 1971 where he finished 8th in the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation race from Chicoutimi to Bagotville in 8 hours 47 minutes 24 seconds
- 24 Heures La Tuque relay in Quebec, Canada.
External links
- Mervyn Sharp Talks About Achieving His Childhood Dream On WOWSA Live
- Mervyn Sharp Solo Swims
- Mervyn Sharp Marathon Swimmers Federation bio
- Watching Over Many, Impacting All
- Sharp As A Swimmer, The Mervyn Marathon Magic
- Channel Swimming Association
- Marathon Swimming
- International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Official Website
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- Open Water Swimming
- Nothing Great Is Easy
- A Quartet Of Heroes And Heroines
- Spellbound By Swimmers
