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                   Diana Nyad Nears Finish of Cuba-to-US Swim

   by VOA News

   U.S. endurance swimmer Diana Nyad is nearing completion of a life-long
   dream -- becoming the first person to swim the treacherous waters
   between Cuba and the U.S. without the protection of a shark cage.
   Her support team reported in the predawn hours Monday that she was less
   than 16 kilometers from reaching the Key West shoreline at the southern
   tip of (the U.S. state of) Florida, and could complete the
   180-kilometer journey by late afternoon.
   The 64-year-old Nyad was making her fifth and final bid at completing
   the Cuba-to-U.S. swim, a feat she first attempted in 1978 when she was
   28. More recent attempts since 2010 were thwarted when she was overcome
   with exhaustion, attacked by poisonous jellyfish and confronted with
   thunderstorms.
   Before she jumped into the water Saturday, Nyad said she was confident,
   yet scared.
   'My adrenaline is pumping very hard. Which means that in one half I'm
   excited and I feel confident, I did all the training. The body is
   ready, the mind is ready. On the other hand, I admit I'm scared.''
   ''
   On this swim, Nyad is wearing a specially designed prosthetic face mask
   to ward off jelly fish attacks, along with a full body suit, gloves and
   shoes. After more than 24 hours in the water, her team reported Sunday
   that she was swimming at a pace of nearly three kilometers an hour.
   Australian swimmer Susan Maroney, with the protection of a shark cage,
   completed the swim through the Florida Straits in 1997 when she was 22.
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   wim/1741572.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/diana-nyad-nears-finish-of-cubatous-swim/1741572.html