64 year-old Australian woman swims the English Channel

By Sid Astbury

   Sydney (dpa) – An Australian grandmother claimed a record Tuesday

for the oldest woman to swim the English Channel.

   Sue Oldham, 64, completed the crossing from Dover to the French

coast in 17 hours and 31 minutes on Monday.

   It was her second success at the distance after she crossed in 16

hours and 3 minutes four years ago. She hopes to have another go

before retiring from the sport of long-distance swimming.

   “You just don’t know what you’re going to get because you’ve got

currents and tides that could take you anywhere,” Oldham told

Australia’s AAP news agency. “But I would never stop. I would never

give up, ever.”

   Oldham said she swam about 50 kilometres in her 2006 crossing, but

was not sure of the distance for her latest swim.