Hong Kong circumnavigation record beaten

On 5 November, former Hong Kong Olympic swimmer and 2019 Cold Half Extreme Marathon winner Alex Fong Lik-sun, 39, smashed the existing circumnavigation swim record around Hong Kong.

Alex began his swim at 5am on 5 November and completed it in just 10 hours and 43 minutes, a staggering 1hr 54 minutes faster than the previous record set by Edie Hue of Hong Kong, last year.

The 45km long challenge requires more than 3,000 stokes to complete, and saw Alex fighting to overcome cramps and huge waves. But in doing so, Alex managed to raise the equivalent of just under £800,000 for A Drop of Life charity, who help people in Cambodia, China and Nepal to gain access to clean water.

The former athlete, who has been retired for almost 15 years, remains the Hong Kong record holder of the 200m backstroke and 400m individual medley, which he broke at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He was awarded one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons in Hong Kong in 2014.

A man of many talents, Alex is also a singer-actor and the winner of Hong Kong music awards!