Biography
Antonio 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.
Selected Channel swim records
First continuous two-way English Channel swim
Sources disagree
The Hall of Fame describes a four-minute onshore stop in France within the two-way undertaking.
Elapsed swim time · 43h 10m
Duration of the complete swim
Started · Wednesday, 20 September 1961 · Clock time not confirmed
Finished · Exact finish date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed
Timing note · Guinness dates the swim 20–22 September 1961; Dover lists 20–21 September. CS&PF’s table gives 20 September as its record date and leg durations of 18h 50m and 24h 20m. The shared start date is retained; completion day and clock times remain unresolved. Dover Museum’s general Records and Firsts page also prints 43h 05m, differing from the 43h 10m in CSA, Guinness and the museum’s individual photograph catalogue.
Format · Solo · 2-way
Direction · England → France → England
Individual crossing times
These legs form one continuous 2-way swim.
Leg 1 · England → France · 18h 50m
Leg 2 · France → England · 24h 20m
How this record was checked
CSA record 2433 establishes the first male two-way swim and 43:10. The Hall of Fame supports the shore stop; the CS&PF retrospective table supplies leg durations. Museum and Guinness date/time differences remain visible. No original observer document or contemporary report establishing the claimed 08:35 and 03:45 clocks was inspected.
Channel Swimming Association: Antonio Abertondo, 1961
Checked 2026-10-30
International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame: Antonio Abertondo
Checked 2026-10-30
Guinness World Records: first male double Channel crossing
Checked 2026-10-30
Dover.UK.com: first two-way record date
Checked 2026-10-30
CS&PF: selected multiple-crossing statistics
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Published dates and leg durations for Rush’s 1985 double and 1987 triple, and Abertondo’s 1961 double.
Limitations · Retrospective table credited to Julian Critchlow’s database; not an original observer log or proof of separate CS&PF ratification. Date column does not identify departure or arrival.
Dover Museum: Abertondo photograph d30117
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Keystone photograph catalogue from the Sam Rockett collection; records government sponsorship and race placings in 1950, 1951 and 1954.
Limitations · Catalogue commentary is retrospective. The caption queries the companion’s identity as pilot; it must not be used to name a pilot.
Dover Museum: Records and Firsts
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Identifies Ederle’s and Abertondo’s pioneering swims, but prints different elapsed times.
Limitations · Retrospective summary prints 14h 33m for Ederle and 43h 05m for Abertondo. Those figures are not adopted over the individual CSA records.
Daily Mail International Channel race — eighth finisher
Historical account checked
Listed eighth among the race’s nine finishers.
Recorded swim date · Tuesday, 22 August 1950 · Start or finish date not specified by the source
Elapsed swim time · Time not confirmed
Duration of the complete swim
Started · Exact start date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed
Finished · Exact finish date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed
Timing note · 22 August is the published race/swim date; the inspected museum sources do not establish his individual elapsed time, departure clock or arrival clock.
Format · Solo · 1-way
Direction · France → England
Departure · Cap Gris Nez, France
How this record was checked
Dover Museum’s race history and photograph catalogue agree on the successful 1950 race and placing. This is retrospective museum documentation, not an individually inspected federation timing sheet.
Dover Museum: 1950s races and swimmers
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Successful France-to-England races in 1950, 1951 and 1954; ordered 1950 and 1951 finisher lists.
Limitations · Internally inconsistent: Abertondo’s personal list says 28 July 1951, while its 16 August Daily Mail race list includes him. It is not a complete federation register.
Dover Museum: Abertondo photograph d30117
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Keystone photograph catalogue from the Sam Rockett collection; records government sponsorship and race placings in 1950, 1951 and 1954.
Limitations · Catalogue commentary is retrospective. The caption queries the companion’s identity as pilot; it must not be used to name a pilot.
Second Daily Mail International Channel race — fourteenth finisher
Sources disagree
The museum’s race list and photograph catalogue identify Abertondo as the fourteenth finisher.
Recorded swim date · Thursday, 16 August 1951 · Start or finish date not specified by the source
Elapsed swim time · Time not confirmed
Duration of the complete swim
Started · Exact start date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed
Finished · Exact finish date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed
Timing note · 16 August follows the specific Daily Mail race section and photograph catalogue. The same museum history’s personal list instead prints 28 July 1951. Neither date is promoted to an independently confirmed departure or arrival. Elapsed time and clocks remain unconfirmed.
Format · Solo · 1-way
Direction · France → England
How this record was checked
Successful 1951 race documented in museum sources and the existing Hall of Fame biography, but the museum has an internal date inconsistency. The specific race identification is preferred with the contradiction retained. No original result sheet has been inspected.
Dover Museum: 1950s races and swimmers
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Successful France-to-England races in 1950, 1951 and 1954; ordered 1950 and 1951 finisher lists.
Limitations · Internally inconsistent: Abertondo’s personal list says 28 July 1951, while its 16 August Daily Mail race list includes him. It is not a complete federation register.
Dover Museum: Abertondo photograph d30117
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Keystone photograph catalogue from the Sam Rockett collection; records government sponsorship and race placings in 1950, 1951 and 1954.
Limitations · Catalogue commentary is retrospective. The caption queries the companion’s identity as pilot; it must not be used to name a pilot.
Butlin International Channel race — sixth finisher
Historical account checked
The museum photograph catalogue records sixth place in the 1954 race.
Recorded swim date · Saturday, 21 August 1954 · Start or finish date not specified by the source
Elapsed swim time · Time not confirmed
Duration of the complete swim
Started · Exact start date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed
Finished · Exact finish date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed
Timing note · 21 August is the published race/swim date. His individual elapsed time and start/finish clocks were not established in these inspected sources.
Format · Solo · 1-way
Direction · France → England
How this record was checked
The museum history and two photograph catalogues support the race and placing. The group photograph’s narrative and location taxonomy disagree on Cap Gris Nez versus Cap Blanc Nez, so no exact starting beach is assigned.
Dover Museum: 1950s races and swimmers
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Successful France-to-England races in 1950, 1951 and 1954; ordered 1950 and 1951 finisher lists.
Limitations · Internally inconsistent: Abertondo’s personal list says 28 July 1951, while its 16 August Daily Mail race list includes him. It is not a complete federation register.
Dover Museum: Abertondo photograph d30117
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Keystone photograph catalogue from the Sam Rockett collection; records government sponsorship and race placings in 1950, 1951 and 1954.
Limitations · Catalogue commentary is retrospective. The caption queries the companion’s identity as pilot; it must not be used to name a pilot.
Dover Museum: 1954 competitors photograph d30207
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Identifies Abertondo among 1954 race competitors and names Carlos Artuz as his trainer.
Limitations · Caption describes Cap Gris Nez but location taxonomy says Cap Blanc Nez. Do not use it alone to establish a precise start site or the 1961 support crew.
ARG