Briton Breaks Lake Malawi Swimming Record
Games Guy | January 16, 2012
Abigail Brown, a British swimmer recently broke a 25km swimming record across the fresh waters of Lake Malawi in a new time of 9 hours, 45 minutes and 35 seconds. The previous record was set by a South African duo Lewis Pugh and Otto Thaning who previously held the record since 1992. Her first attempt at the record failed as her guide had trouble navigating her through the rough waters due to stormy weather. Abigail said “My plans were to swim across Lake Malawi and I am glad that in the end I managed to break the record.” She was escorted on her trip by three patrol boats, two of which were monitoring the Lake’s currents and the other boat was her support boat which would have been called into action should she have required assistance. She has now issued a rallying call for any Malawians who think they can beat her time by giving it a try.
Abigail’s swimming achievement helped bring media interest not only within Africa but also internationally. The coverage of the event was global which helped increase people’s awareness of a continent and country they are perhaps not so familiar with. The majority of people travelling to Africa do so on a Tanzania safari and have very little knowledge of Africa as a whole. By achieving her goal Abigail has opened up Lake Malawi as a reputable destination to travel to for thousands of people around the world, and there have been many cases where foreign internationals have achieved success in Africa which has helped drive the destination forward. A team of celebrities from the UK climbed Mt Kilimanjaro in 2009 for charity and raised millions of pounds as well as promoting Tanzania as a tourist destination. Celebrities seem to give a destination more credibility which is met with intrigue by interested on-lookers.
Maybe next time you travel on a Zambia safari you will also hit the slopes of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, or the shores of Lake Malawi as part of your African adventure. In a continent full of magical wonders lie some of the most astonishing, secretive camps, bedded well into the wildness. The Abu Camp is one of these resorts that if you have the money to travel to, it’s an opportunity not worth missing out on.