Michael Read facts for kids

Michael Peter Read MBE (born 9 June 1941) is an amazing English long-distance swimmer. He is famous for swimming across the English Channel many times. In fact, he has crossed it 33 times! This makes him one of the top swimmers in history for Channel crossings. The current "Queen of the Channel" is Chloë McCardel, who has completed 44 crossings.

Becoming a Champion Swimmer

Michael Read was born in Brighton, England. He started swimming a bit later than some, at 14 years old. In 1955, he joined the Brighton Swimming Club. He quickly became a key member, even joining the club's committee by 1957.

Michael was a very talented swimmer. He won the English Schools champion title and was also the British Universities Champion. In 1959, he came second in the ASA National Championships. Because of his skills, he was chosen to represent Great Britain in swimming at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Sadly, an injury prevented him from competing there.

Conquering the English Channel

In 1969, Michael joined the Channel Swimming Association (CSA). This was the same year he made his very first swim across the English Channel! He became a committee member of the CSA in 1973.

Michael worked hard to become the "King of the Channel." This special title is given to the person who has swum across the English Channel the most times. In 1979, he finally earned this title. He broke the previous record, increasing it from 17 crossings to an amazing 31! He retired from Channel swimming in 1984.

He briefly lost his "King of the Channel" title in 2000, after holding it for 21 years. But Michael wasn't done yet! In 2004, he regained the title with his 33rd crossing. He is the only swimmer to have won the special Letona Trophy three times for his incredible achievements.

Later Swimming Adventures

Michael Read continued to swim competitively for over six decades! That's a very long time to stay active in a sport. He even competed internationally in very long swims, up to 30 kilometers (about 18.6 miles).

He took part in more than 225 events with the British Long Distance Swimming Association (BLDSA). He won many championships across the UK, including the Windermere International in 1970 and the Loch Ness Championship. He set over 70 records during his career! For nine years in a row, he was the BLDSA Double Windermere Champion.

Setting New Records

Michael also competed in World, European, and National Masters competitions in recent years. He has been the ASA National Masters 3 km champion more than 10 times.

He was the first person to complete a three-way swim of Windermere (30.75 miles) in 1972. On the same day, he also became the first to complete a four-way swim of Windermere (41 miles)!

He was also the first person to swim across Loch Tay in 1973. He was the first to swim Loch Lomond twice. Michael also made the first ever two-way crossing of the Wash, swimming from Skegness to Hunstanton and back. He was the first to swim Loch Rannoch, and from Perth to Broughty Ferry. He also swam 65 km (about 40 miles) in the Ebro river from Mora to Amposta. He was the second person ever to swim all the way around the Isle of Wight.

Awards and Recognition

Michael Read's amazing swimming career has earned him many honors.

In 1978, he was added to the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. This is like a special club for the best long-distance swimmers in the world. He has also been made an honorary citizen of Nikiti in Greece and Dervio in Italy.

In 2009, he received the International Swimming Hall of Fame Davids/Wheeler Memorial Award. This award recognizes people who have helped improve open water swimming around the world.

In 2012, Michael Read was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This is a very special award from the Queen of England, given for his great contributions to swimming.

Records Held by Michael Read

• First person to complete a 3-way swim of Windermere (30.75 miles) on 20 July 1972.
• First person to complete a 4-way swim of Windermere (41 miles) on 20 July 1972.
• First person to swim Loch Tay (14 miles) in August 1973.
• First person to swim Loch Lomond (21.6 miles) twice.
• Most English Channel Swims in a Year by a man - 6 in 1979. (Alison Streeter holds the overall record with 7 in 1992).
• Latest Channel crossing in the year on 28 October 1979.