Pouleth Estefanía Carbajal Cuero, a 24‑year‑old open‑water swimmer from Manzanillo, Colima, has etched her name into the annals of this country’s marathon swimming. On August 16, she became the first person from the state of Colima — and one of the youngest Mexican women ever — to complete a solo crossing of the English Channel.

Starting from Shakespeare Beach in England at 2:12 a.m., Carbajal battled 17‑to‑22‑degree waters, strong currents and heavy swells for 14 hours and 8 minutes before touching the sands of Wissant, France.  Although the straight‑line distance between Dover and Calais is only about 21 miles (33.8 km), tidal forces pushed her total swum distance to 40.6 miles (65.3 km). She was supported throughout by her coach Sandra Venegas Ortiz, her mother Gabriela Cuero, an observer and the boat pilot. The swim, ratified by the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation, marks the 88th solo Mexican crossing of the Channel.

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