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Disclaimer: Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The Swim of the Week is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.
Mark O’Brien, a 55-year-old Englishman, made history on Sept. 1, swimming to a pair of world records in two different countries.
O’Brien set out to break the Guinness World Records for the fastest time in the men’s 50 and 100 freestyle done by a swimmer living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), a terminal illness that affects nerves in the brain and spinal cord that he was diagnosed with in 2022.
First racing in the English town of Luton, O’Brien put up a time of 36.10 in the 50 free, breaking the previous Guinness World Record for the fastest time done by someone living with MND of 38.92.
O’Brien then boarded a flight with his supporters to Dublin, where he was planning on racing the 100 free at the National Aquatic Center in the Irish capital.
The Rickmansworth native successfully completed the double, clocking 1:29.12 in the 100 free to knock off the previous record by some 10 seconds.
“It feels amazing to have broken both records,” O’Brien told RICKYnews. “I did not realize how different the two distances are in terms of training, technique, and breathing. Also, it took a small army of volunteers to make the attempts happen.
“I chose the 50m in the UK and 100m in Ireland as I hold dual citizenship. I lost my dad a few years ago during COVID-19 and none of our Irish family and friends could be at his funeral. The 100m therefore was particularly special to honor my dad.
With his record-breaking day, O’Brien aimed to raise money for MND research and support services.
“My goal was to give hope and inspiration to anyone suffering with a terminal illness, that although our time on this planet may be shorter than most, we can still try and make a difference and to never give up.”
🏅 Huge congrats to @warriormarkmnd for setting two Guinness World Records in one day 🌟🏊♂️
Despite battling MND, Mark conquered the challenge 🥳! Thank you so much to everyone who supported him 💜#MarkOBrien #ChallengingMND pic.twitter.com/HLDQfclXAv— Challenging MND (@challengingmnd) September 3, 2024
O’Brien also holds the record for the longest un-aided, non-stop open water swim by someone living with MND (11 km), which he set in 2023.
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Inspirational! Much respect to him and what a lovely way to honour his father.