The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Lake Titicaca: Man swims 122 kilometers at an altitude of 3800 meters

2021-11-23T05:52:13.672Z


The four-amputee Paralympic participant Théo Curin swam across Lake Titcaca together with two French compatriots. He wants to draw attention to environmental problems.


Read the video transcript here

Relief after ten days in the water.

The French Théo Curin swam through Lake Titicaca - at the side of his compatriots Malia Metella and Matthieu Witvoet.

They covered 122 kilometers between Bolivia and Peru.

Nobody has dared to venture this route before them.

Théo Curin has neither hands nor feet.

Because of an inflammation of the meninges, parts of his limbs had to be amputated when he was six years old.

Theo Curin, Paralympics participant:


»

What we're doing here is an extraordinary adventure.

An adventure that no one has existed to this day.

We are very proud of this.

And we were warmly welcomed by the people in Bolivia with our idea.

«

Lake Titicaca is around 3,800 meters above sea level.

At this time of year the water is around 13 degrees cold.

As they passed through, the three dragged a raft behind them.

So they could take turns resting, warming up and eating.

Malia Metella, Olympic participant 2004:


»

It's hard enough to pull a raft while swimming.

And even without a raft, it is difficult to swim at 3,800 meters above sea level.

Of course, it is all the more difficult with an appendage weighing 500 kilograms.

«

With the campaign, the three want to draw attention to the pollution on Lake Titicaca.

For years, heavy metals, chemicals and garbage have endangered the animals in the water and the people on the banks.

Mathieu Witvoet, environmental activist and swimmer:


It was important to us to do the whole thing with the smallest possible ecological impact.

The floats on our raft come from a boat that was built for the 1996 Olympic Games; we salvaged the fabric from a theater in France.

Everything circular economy.

«

It remains to be seen whether the message will reach the right people.

At least for the Andean peoples of the Aymara and Quechua, the lake has always been sacred.

Source: spiegel

All life articles on 2021-11-23

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.