Gertrude Ederle: Swims The English Channel In Record Time

　　格特鲁德·埃德尔：最短时间内横渡英吉利海峡

　　The choppy waters that separate France from England are icy-cold, crisscrossed with powerful currents and subject to sudden squalls. By 1926, hundreds of people had tried to swim the English Channel, but only five had been successful--all of them men. Then Gertrude Ederle, a native New Yorker, donned her swimming cap, slathered herself with petroleum jelly and lard and jumped in the water off the coast of France. It took her 14 hours and 31 minutes to cover the 21 miles to Kingsdown on the English coast, shattering the men's record by nearly two hours. Ederle's record remained untouched for nearly 25 years.

　　分隔英国和欧洲大陆的英吉利海峡一向都以冰冷的海水和汹涌的海浪而著称。在1926年之前，已经有数百人尝试过横渡，其中只有5人最终成功，且都是男性。埃德尔花费了14小时31分钟，完成了21英里（约33.8公里）的横渡，并将之前的纪录缩短了近两小时。新的纪录一直保持了25年。