Owen O’Keefe

Athlete IDATH-1050712

IRLIrelandSport:Swimming

Biography

Owen O’Keefe swam for Fermoy Swimming Club in County Cork. On 21 September 2009, aged 16, he became the youngest Irish swimmer at the time to complete a solo English Channel crossing. Lance Oram guided him from England to France aboard Sea Satin.

In July 2013 O’Keefe swam the second turn in the six-person Crosóige Mara relay. The team reached France and returned to Shakespeare Beach in 20 hours 29 minutes. Later that summer he swam around Jersey in 9 hours 35 minutes and covered the River Blackwater from Fermoy to Youghal in 12 hours 8 minutes.

The Irish Long Distance Swimming Association also records his 2010 Strait of Gibraltar crossing. He entered the Ireland Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in its class of 2020.

Owen O’Keefe's published record includes performances from 2009 to 2013 in Open-water swimming — English Channel solo, Open-water swimming — River Blackwater solo, Open-water swimming — Strait of Gibraltar solo, Open-water swimming — Around Jersey solo. Selected recorded events include English Channel solo (2009; source checked); River Blackwater solo (2013; administrator confirmed); Strait of Gibraltar solo (2010; administrator confirmed).

English Channel record

At 16 the Fermoy swimmer crossed solo in 10h19. Four years later he swam in the six-person Crosóige Mara relay.

Also recorded as Owen O'Keefe.

Crossing details, recordings & verification

Sporting nationality: Ireland
Club at the 2009 crossing: Fermoy Swimming Club

Selected Channel swims

Solo from England to France, 21 September 2009

Result · 10 hours 19 minutes, ratified by the CS&PF.

Departure and arrival · 01:41 from Abbot’s Cliff at the western end of Samphire Hoe. The register gives a 12:00 finish, and Sport Ireland places the landing at Cap Gris-Nez. The register does not specify a time zone.

Date discrepancy · Sport Ireland calls the swim a Sunday. The federation’s dated record and season table both give Monday 21 September.

Escort · Pilot Lance Oram, vessel Sea Satin, observer Irene Wakeham and trainer Jackie Power.

Record at the time · Youngest Irish solo swimmer, aged 16. Accounts differ on his national speed ranking.

Crosóige Mara two-way relay, 13 July 2013

Team performance · Six-person relay from England to France and back in 20:29:00. The official team splits are 10:18:59 and 10:10:01.

Route and clocks · O’Keefe reports a 01:14 start at Abbot’s Cliff, a French landing south of Cap Gris-Nez and a finish at Shakespeare Beach. The reported start and official duration imply about 21:43. The finish clock is calculated.

Team members · Carol Cashell, Owen O’Keefe, Caitlin Desmond, Lynne Lynch, Maeve Ryan and Eoin O’Riordan.

Escort · Mike Oram piloted Gallivant. O’Keefe names the two CS&PF observers as Mike Ball and Jim Boucher.

Other events & swims

Strait of Gibraltar, 22 July 2010

Solo crossing · O’Keefe swam from Spain to Morocco in 3 hours 52 minutes. The Irish association gives the distance as 14.4 km.

Around Jersey, 24 July 2013

Solo swim · O’Keefe circled Jersey in 9 hours 35 minutes. The Irish association records this as the fastest men’s time at that point.

Fermoy to Youghal, 16 August 2013

Solo swim · O’Keefe swam the 60 km River Blackwater route in 12 hours 8 minutes.

English Channel questions

How old was Owen O’Keefe when he swam the Channel?: He was 16 when he swam from England to France on 21 September 2009.
Who piloted Owen O’Keefe’s solo crossing?: Lance Oram piloted Sea Satin. Irene Wakeham was the observer.
What was Crosóige Mara’s relay time?: The six-person team completed its two-way Channel crossing in 20 hours 29 minutes in July 2013.

Achievements & next milestones

Achievements update from recorded results. A tick means the supporting results are verified.

Achieved

4 finishes completed
Based on 4 distinct completed events in your linked record.
Verified
Raced in 3 calendar years
At least one recorded finish in each year; this does not imply an uninterrupted streak.
- 2009
- 2010
- 2013
Each year counts once. A tick means at least one result from that year is verified.
Verified

Next milestones

5 finishes
1 more finish needed
4 of 5 recorded
2 different countries
1 more different country needed
1 of 2 recorded
2 different sports
1 more different sport needed
1 of 2 recorded
5 calendar years with a finish
2 more calendar years with a finish needed
3 of 5 recorded

Career highlights

Selected events from this athlete’s recorded career. Verification is shown for each record.

English Channel solo
2009 · Open-water swimming — English Channel solo
Performance: 10h 19m
Source checked
River Blackwater solo
2013 · Open-water swimming — River Blackwater solo
Performance: 12h 08m
Administrator confirmed
Strait of Gibraltar solo
2010 · Open-water swimming — Strait of Gibraltar solo
Performance: 3h 52m
Administrator confirmed
Around Jersey solo
2013 · Open-water swimming — Around Jersey solo
Performance: 9h 35m
Administrator confirmed

Latest results

Showing 5 of 5 recorded performances.

Athlete results history
Race date	Race name	Sport	Distance / discipline	Location	Performance	Place	Category
Fri, 16 Aug 2013	Completed event · Finisher · River Blackwater solo	Swimming	Open-water swimming — River Blackwater solo	Fermoy to Youghal—	12h 08mVerifiedTime recorded to minutes · Timing unknown	—	—
Wed, 24 Jul 2013	Completed event · Finisher · Around Jersey solo	Swimming	Open-water swimming — Around Jersey solo	Jersey	9h 35mVerifiedTime recorded to minutes · Timing unknown	—	—
Sat, 13 Jul 2013	English Channel two-way relay	Swimming	Open-water swimming — English Channel two-way relay	Abbot’s Cliff to France and Shakespeare Beach—	20:29:00 (team)VerifiedTiming unknown	—	—
Thu, 22 Jul 2010	Completed event · Finisher · Strait of Gibraltar solo	Swimming	Open-water swimming — Strait of Gibraltar solo	Tarifa Island to Almansa—	3h 52mVerifiedTime recorded to minutes · Timing unknown	—	—
Mon, 21 Sept 2009	Completed event · Finisher · English Channel solo	Swimming	Open-water swimming — English Channel solo	Abbot’s Cliff to Cap Gris-Nez—	10h 19mVerifiedTime recorded to minutes · Timing unknown	—	—

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