International women’s relay crosses the English Channel

Four endurance swimmers from Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Germany and Britain completed a relay crossing of the English Channel on July 28, 2026, marking 100 years since the first woman swam the route solo. The team used the 48-kilometer effort to promote swimming skills and water safety for children.

Why it matters: - The relay marked 100 years since Gertrude “Trudi” Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel on Aug. 6, 1926. - The swimmers also used the crossing to promote swimming as an essential life skill for children. - Mariam Binladen said the goal was to encourage more children to learn to swim and gain confidence and safety in the water.

What happened: - Four international open water endurance swimmers completed a relay crossing of the English Channel on July 28, 2026. - The team included Mariam Binladen of Saudi Arabia, Mariana Moura Santon of Portugal, Nathalie Pohl of Germany and Jasmine Harrison of Britain. - The group swam from Dover to Calais. - The relay covered 48 kilometers in 11 hours and 28 minutes. - The women met through a shared interest in swimming.

The details: - Each swimmer spent one hour at a time in the water. - The swimmers were not allowed to touch the boat or any other objects. - Each swimmer had to stay at least 1.5 meters away from the boat. - Strong winds and a choppy sea made the crossing difficult. - The swim was at one point at risk of being stopped after four hours in the water. - Mariam Binladen said the team started with winds of around 17 to 18 knots, which later dropped to around six knots during the day and rose to nine knots at night. - Binladen said the water temperature was 20°C at the start and dropped to 17°C. - Binladen said the one-hour relay format required a fast pace throughout the swim. - The team returned to the boat between swims to warm up. - Binladen said staying warm between swims was another challenge because of the wind and cold weather. - Binladen got stung by a jellyfish during the swim but continued.

Between the lines: - The relay blended athletic achievement with a public message about drowning prevention. - Binladen’s participation added visibility for Arab women in endurance swimming. - The effort also connected the team’s challenge to a historic milestone in women’s swimming. - Binladen has built a broader profile beyond this relay, including a solo Channel swim about a decade ago, the first full-length swim of the River Thames by an Arab woman, ice glacier swimming in Austria and a swim from Saudi Arabia to Egypt. - Binladen is also a dentist, environmentalist and philanthropist focused on ocean conservation and women’s participation in sports.

What's next: - Binladen said she hopes the achievement inspires more children to take up swimming. - The relay may support wider efforts to frame swimming as both a competitive sport and a safety skill. - The milestone could also amplify attention on women’s endurance swimming and ocean conservation causes linked to the athletes.

The bottom line: - The Channel relay was both a grueling athletic feat and a symbolic nod to a century of progress for women in open-water swimming.