Scots-Australian athlete beats record for swimming around Manhattan

A Scottish-Australian marathon swimmer has set a new record for swimming around Manhattan Island in New York despite suffering illness.

Andy Donaldson achieved the feat in five hours, 41 minutes and 48 seconds.

On Thursday, the athlete, aged 33, completed the 45.9km circumnavigation, beating the previous record holder Oliver Wilkinson by two minutes.

Mr Wilkinson set the previous record in 2011.

Andy Donaldson in Manhattan. Pete Bird via PA Media

Mr Donaldson, who grew up in West Kilbride, North Ayrshire, started the challenge at 2am local time, swimming throughout the night past famous landmarks.

Navigating currents as strong as four knots, he relied on the support of an experienced team including skipper Sean Makofsky, New York Open Water (NYOW) president Rondi Davies, kayaker Alex Arevalo and handlers Jay Prchal and Pete Bird.

He said their precision was integral to his success as he reached a maximum speed of 12kph.

Mr Donaldson said: “This was one of my toughest challenges yet, both physically and mentally.

“With the three rivers’ tides impacting the swim, we had to time everything perfectly for a shot at the record.

“I’ve been struggling with illness leading up to the event, so it was really tough out there.”

Mr Donaldson relocated to pursue swimming professionally in 2013, and has since stacked up another three records.

Last year, he became the fastest person to swim across the Cook Strait, which separates New Zealand’s North and South islands, in four hours, 33 minutes and 50 seconds.

Crew members supported Andy Donaldson while he swam round Manhattan. PA Media

He also gained two records for the Ocean’s Seven swimming challenge, which consists of seven open water channel swims around the world, including the North Channel, the English Channel and the Strait of Gibraltar.

He beat the challenge in the shortest timespan, managing all seven straits in 355 days between August 7 2022 and July 27 2023.

He also has the record for the shortest cumulative swim time at 63 hours, two minutes and nine seconds.

Additionally, he also holds the British record for swimming across the English Channel.

With his new record, he said he now plans to push the limits of swimming even further, and wants to raise awareness of issues he cares about such as ocean health and youth mental health.

He added: “I’m hugely grateful for my team and supporters — without them, this wouldn’t have been possible.”