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AUSAustraliaSport:SwimmingSusie Maroney emerged from Sydney swimming as a teenager with an appetite for long distances. Born in 1974, she was competing in swimming carnivals at seven and finished second in an Australian 16-kilometre marathon at fourteen. Her early international career soon included the English Channel and major professional open-water races.
In 1990, aged fifteen, she swam from England to France in eight hours twenty-nine minutes. Her performance earned the season’s fastest-solo and fastest-woman awards from the Channel Swimming Association. She returned in 1991 for a continuous England–France–England swim, completing the double in the association’s recorded seventeen hours fourteen minutes and setting the women’s record.
Maroney’s swimming also took her around Manhattan and onto the international marathon circuit. Later, her ambitions expanded to much longer Caribbean routes. She completed Cuba to Florida in 1997 and Mexico to Cuba in 1998 using a protective shark cage; the latter also involved a stinger suit. These assisted ocean projects form a separate part of her career from her Channel performances.
Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1993, she retired from marathon swimming in 2003. Her later public work has included speaking and charitable ambassador roles. She entered the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2005, recognising a career that combined fast competitive swims with unusually long ocean expeditions.
Channel soloist at fifteen · 1991 women’s double-crossing record
Also recorded as Susan Jean Maroney, Suzie Maroney.
Crossing details, recordings & verificationSolo swim
Tuesday, 31 July 1990 (recorded swim date)
England → France
Elapsed time · 8h 29m
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
1991 · exact day not recorded here
England → France → England
Elapsed time · 17h 14m
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Sources disagree · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Open-water swimming · Race
Sunday, 19 August 1990 (event date)
Manhattan, New York, USA
Won the overall race.
Elapsed time · 7h 0m 27s
Placing / category · 1st overall
Published account checked · Details and qualifications are in the career evidence.
Open-water swimming · Race
Saturday, 20 August 1994 (event date)
Manhattan, New York, USA
Won the overall race.
Elapsed time · 7h 8m 10s
Placing / category · 1st overall
Published account checked · Details and qualifications are in the career evidence.
31 July 1990
Published swim record dates her 8:29 England-to-France crossing to this day.
July 1991
Completed England–France–England in the CSA-listed 17:14; sources disagree on the calendar day.
1993
Received the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to sport.
1997
Completed the route using a protective shark cage.
1998
Completed an assisted ocean swim reported at 38:33, using a shark cage and stinger suit.
2003
Retired after a career spanning Channel swims, international races and Caribbean expeditions.
2005
Recognised 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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