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ARGArgentinaSport:SwimmingAntonio Abertondo was an Argentine marathon swimmer whose achievements extended from South American rivers to long ocean crossings. He completed swims across the Río de la Plata in 1946 and 1950, then crossed the Strait of Gibraltar in 1950 in 7 hours and 42 minutes.
His English Channel career included the 1950 and 1951 Daily Mail races and the 1954 Butlin race. In September 1961 he became the first swimmer to complete a continuous two-way Channel crossing, travelling from England to France and back in 43 hours and 10 minutes. The account includes a brief four-minute stop on the French shore; it was one continuous multi-way undertaking, not two separate attempts.
Abertondo also completed prolonged swims down the Mississippi River in 1952 and 1955. The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame honoured him in 1964. His Channel profile retains the clear agreement on duration while identifying conflicting published completion dates.
His Channel career developed through the organised races of the 1950s. He finished eighth in the 1950 Daily Mail race, fourteenth in the 1951 edition and sixth in the 1954 Butlin race. Photographs preserved in the Sam Rockett collection document this period; a catalogue caption identifies Carlos Artuz as his trainer.
The recorded nationality is Argentina.
First two-way English Channel swim · 43h 10m · 1961
Crossing details, recordings & verificationSolo swim
Wednesday, 20 September 1961 (start)
England → France → England
Elapsed time · 43h 10m
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Sources disagree · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Solo swim
Tuesday, 22 August 1950 (recorded swim date)
France → England
Elapsed time · Time not confirmed
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Historical account checked · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Solo swim
Thursday, 16 August 1951 (recorded swim date)
France → England
Elapsed time · Time not confirmed
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Sources disagree · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Solo swim
Saturday, 21 August 1954 (recorded swim date)
France → England
Elapsed time · Time not confirmed
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Historical account checked · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Open-water swimming · Solo swim
1946 · exact day not confirmed
Uruguay → Argentina
Completed Uruguay → Argentina.
Elapsed time · 29h 30m
Published distance · 40 km
Historical account checked · Details and qualifications are in the career evidence.
Open-water swimming · Solo swim
1950 · exact day not confirmed
Completed the strait in 7h42m.
Elapsed time · 7h 42m
Historical account checked · Details and qualifications are in the career evidence.
1946 / 1950
Completed crossings from Uruguay to Argentina.
1950
Swam the strait in 7h 42m.
1950–1954
Completed the 1950 and 1951 Daily Mail events and the 1954 Butlin event.
1952 / 1955
Completed two long downstream endurance swims.
September 1961
Completed England–France–England in 43h 10m.
1964
Honoured by the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
Achievements update from recorded results. A tick means the supporting results are verified.
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First recorded finish
1 more finish needed
0 of 1 recorded
Selected swimming performances appear in the English Channel record above.
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