Australian endurance swimmer claims new distance record

MIAMI (Reuters) - Australian long-distance swimmer Chloe McCardel became the first person to swim almost 80 miles (129 kilometres) unassisted in open water on Wednesday during a 42.5 hour crossing from Eleuthera islands in the Bahamas to Nassau, according to her support team.

If ratified, McCardel, 29, will have completed "the longest open-water solo, continuous, unassisted marathon swim in history," the team said in a statement, adding that the swim met international rules set by the Marathon Swimmers Federation.