The Capo Santa Maria di Leuca lighthouse and a stone arcade under a blue sky.
The Santa Maria di Leuca lighthouse in Italy, the destination of the crossing (photo from 2022). Stock image, not from the swim.Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC0 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons
CURRENT NEWS · ULTRA SWIMMING

Spyros Chrysikopoulos completes Greece–Italy swim

Spyros Chrysikopoulos completed a swim from Othonoi to Santa Maria di Leuca in southern Italy on 1 September 2026. His account and published reports give a total distance of 91.4km and a time of 31 hours 50 minutes. Bib2Bib records the achievement but does not label it an independently certified world record without an available entry from a governing registry.

Published Fact-checked Bib2Bib Editorial
StartOthonoi · 31 August 2026
FinishSanta Maria di Leuca · 1 September 2026
Reported distance91.4km
Reported time31 hours 50 minutes
Guinness · 48-hour pool swim151km · 20 July 2025
Guinness · one-week pool swim358.2km · 9–16 May 2021

From Othonoi to the Italian coast

The attempt began at Othonoi on 31 August and finished at Santa Maria di Leuca on 1 September. Kathimerini published an interview with the swimmer and reports 91.4km after almost 32 hours; ERT Sports gives the time as 31:50.

These figures are presented as details announced by the athlete and reported by the named publications. As of the 7 September check, Bib2Bib had not located a public entry for this crossing in an official results registry.

What is already in an official record

Guinness World Records lists Chrysikopoulos for covering 151km in 48 hours in a 50m pool, completed in Athens on 20 July 2025.

The same official archive also records his 358.2km one-week pool performance, completed at the Athens Olympic complex from 9 to 16 May 2021. Those records are separate from the Greece–Italy sea crossing and should not be conflated.

Why source labels matter

A major athletic achievement can be genuine before it appears in a public registry. Accurate coverage distinguishes the athlete’s account, independent reporting and formal certification.

This article will be updated if an official observer report, route log or registry entry for the crossing becomes publicly available.

What we do not infer

  • The crossing is not labelled a world record without an official entry.
  • Currents, temperature and conditions are not reconstructed without primary data.
  • This is not ultra-swimming, safety or nutrition advice.
  • No photograph or quotation is reused without publication rights.

Frequently asked questions

How far did he swim from Greece to Italy?

His account and the published reports give 91.4km.

How long did the swim take?

The reported time is 31 hours 50 minutes, from 31 August to 1 September 2026.

Is it an official world record?

We found no public official registry entry supporting that label. His separate Guinness pool records are officially documented.

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