For 31 hours and 50 minutes, ultramarathon swimmer Spyros Chrysikopoulos remained in the sea without setting foot on land or leaving the water for a moment. He set off from Othonoi, Greece’s westernmost point, and, after covering approximately 91 kilometers, reached Santa Maria di Leuca in Italy’s Puglia region, completing a feat he had attempted unsuccessfully two years earlier. On Tuesday, September 1, he became the first Greek to swim from Greece to Italy.
This was far from the first challenge to test his physical and mental endurance. In 2022, he swam from the island of Rhodes to Kastellorizo, in the southeastern Aegean, remaining in the water for 64 hours. Two months before his Othonoi attempt, he completed a 750-kilometer triathlon from Thessaloniki to Cape Tainaro, the southernmost point of mainland Greece.
In an interview with Kathimerini, Chrysikopoulos discusses his decision to return to Othonoi after his unsuccessful attempt in 2024, the difficult hours in the water, the cold and pain, and the moment he spotted the lighthouse at Santa Maria di Leuca – the first sign that land was drawing near.
“After highlighting Kastellorizo, Greece’s easternmost island, through my attempt, I wanted to do something for the westernmost one, Othonoi, which is not particularly well known around the world,” he tells Kathimerini, explaining how he decided to undertake the crossing.
