Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1526855
11 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 20 SEPTEMBER 2024 NEWS Any day now: Athlete Neil Agius' eyes fair 'weather window' for world-record swim attempt Agius and his team are on 48-hour standby as route is yet to be determined WEATHER analysts are mon- itoring sea and air conditions for an ideal three-day window for ultra-endurance athlete and clean seas activist Neil Agius to attempt a new world record challenge. As of Wednesday a three- week period has officially opened, during which Agius' team believe they will identi- fy the ideal weather window for the athlete to re-attempt a world record open water sea swim. This means Agius and his team are on 48-hour stand- by and the swim could be an- nounced any day now. Agius is planning on looping round all of Malta, Gozo, and Comino. "This is the first time anyone has ever attempted to swim around the entire Maltese ar- chipelago and it is the first time that I will be attempting to set a new world record right here at home," Agius said. The challenge will see Agi- us attempt the open-sea route along the coastal waters of the entire Maltese archipel- ago, covering approximately 160km. Swimming around Malta, Gozo and Comino would cover a distance of just 104 km. This means Agius will need to con- tinue swimming once he has covered this distance in order to break his own world record. Because of the unpredictable weather conditions at this time of year, the route Agius will swim can still change signifi- cantly. The day, time and location of departure as well as the route Agius will swim will be an- nounced just 48 hours before he is set to leave. If successful, Agius will break the current world record for the longest non-stop, unassist- ed, current neutral sea swim, which he himself holds. Neil currently holds the world record for the longest, unas- sisted, current neutral swim when he swam from Linosa to Malta for a distance of 125.7km in 2021 and finished in Xlendi in Gozo. Since then, there have been several attempts but no one has managed to break this record officially. This will be Agius' first at- tempt at breaking the record after he was forced to abandon a similar swim in Spain last year. To commemorate this year's swim, special edition t-shirts have been launched and can be pre-ordered here. Designed by celebrated art- ist and designer Ed Dingli, the t-shirts feature typical Maltese topography in the outline of a whale. Swim powers marine clean ups: Join in Agius is using the swim to raise awareness about the state of Malta's marine habi- tat aiming to raise awareness about critical environmental issues and inspire a collective commitment to protecting the Mediterranean Sea. Just as the unpredictability of the sea governs Agius' swim, so too will it dictate the environ- mental actions that accompany it. In collaboration with NGO Wave of Change and marine clean-up specialists Żibel, three clean-up events will be held, their locations and tim- ings to be announced once the swim route and conditions are confirmed. Żibel will be coordinating the clean-ups. The public can register their interest here and they will be informed by email once the lo- cation and times are confirmed. Spaces are limited to 50 peo- ple per clean up, so the public are being encouraged to reg- ister their interest as soon as possible and join in. With over 149,500kgs of waste collected by Żibel over the years, the problem is far from solved. Harnessing 'The Ocean Mindset' Central to Agius' preparation has been his self-developed 'Ocean Mindset' technique — a mental framework that com- plements his intense physical training. This set of tools helps Agi- us stay mentally sharp, navi- gate challenges, and confront the unexpected obstacles that come with this kind of world- first attempt. There is no blue- print for a swim of this magni- tude, and Agius has trained his mind to handle the unprece- dented. Lead partner, GO, who are powering the swim and all Neil's endeavours for the next three years will be teaming up with Agius to offer The Ocean Mindset tools for all their team members to help them manage stress, communicate more ef- fectively and take care of their wellbeing. The Small Island, Big Swim is also supported by VisitMal- ta, Atlas Insurance and Cisk 0.0, as well as Kia, Garmin and Maypole. Swimming around Malta, Gozo and Comino would cover a distance of just 104 km. This means Agius will need to continue swimming once he has covered this distance in order to break his own world record.