Marcelo Stancanelli inscribed his name in the history of international sports after completing an unprecedented crossing in the icy waters of the south. The 49-year-old swimmer, a resident of the town of Cosquín, completed the double crossing of the Beagle Channel, linking the countries of Argentina and Chile. This feat of physical and mental endurance was officially validated by the prestigious World Record Certification Association in recent days.
The event took place in the narrowest sector of the strait, between Punta Mackinlay and the Chilean territory located exactly at Cape Peña. The athlete covered a total distance of 3,250 meters (10,663 feet) in a time of 1 hour, 8 minutes and 59 seconds under very harsh weather conditions. During the journey, he had to face a water temperature close to 8 degrees Celsius (46.4 degrees Fahrenheit) using only a regulation neoprene wetsuit.
The ocean currents and strong tides represented the greatest technical challenge for the athlete during his return to the coast of Tierra del Fuego. "It is the narrowest part of the channel and that is why the water concentrates there with all its force. On the way out I took about 28 minutes and on the way back 41, because the wind and the tide were pushing me off course and forcing me to spend more energy," Stancanelli explained on Cadena 3. The athlete, originally from Buenos Aires, thus became the first Argentine man to officially record this double-crossing mark in the southernmost region.
