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AUSAustraliaSport:SwimmingLinda McGill was an Australian swimmer who moved from international pool competition into marathon swimming. Born in Sydney on 17 December 1945, she became a Commonwealth Games gold medallist and represented Australia at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Her subsequent open-water career gave her a different arena in which to establish national firsts and endurance records.
During a visit to Britain and Europe in 1965, Channel swimming became an unexpected challenge. She completed a France-to-England crossing in 11 hours and 12 minutes, becoming the first Australian to swim the Channel. The CSA commemorates the achievement on 7 August. The crossing made her an Australian pioneer in a challenge then dominated by swimmers from other nations.
McGill returned in 1967 for two more successful crossings, both again from France to England. Dover Museum places their finishes on 9 and 29 September. The first took 13 hours and two minutes; the second established a women’s record recorded by the CSA as nine hours and 59 minutes.
Her wider career included pioneering swims in Australian waters and around Hong Kong Island. An MBE and International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame induction followed in 1968, with Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame recognition in 2020. She died on 30 July 2025, leaving a career that connected elite pool swimming with the development of marathon swimming.
First Australian Channel swimmer · three solos and a 1967 women’s record
Also recorded as Linda Kruk.
Crossing details, recordings & verificationSolo swim
Saturday, 7 August 1965 (recorded swim date)
France → England
Elapsed time · 11h 12m
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Ratifying body's record checked · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Solo swim
Saturday, 9 September 1967 (completion)
France → England
Elapsed time · 13h 2m
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Ratifying body's record checked · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Solo swim
Friday, 29 September 1967 (completion)
France → England
CSA and contemporary reports give 9h59m to the minute; exact seconds remain unresolved.
Elapsed time · 9h 59m
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Sources disagree · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Monday, 17 December 1945
Date and place recorded by the Australian Women’s Register.
1962
Pool-swimming success preceded her marathon career.
1964
Represented Australia in Olympic swimming.
Saturday, 7 August 1965
CSA’s commemorative date for her 11:12 France-to-England crossing.
Saturday, 9 September 1967
Dover Museum’s chronology places the 13:02 crossing first.
Friday, 29 September 1967
Her third crossing; CSA records 9:59.
1968
Received the MBE and entered IMSHOF.
2020
Inducted into the Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
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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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