"I swam across the English channel" is written on the BMW that Bulgaria's first mobile operator Mtel presented Tuesday to the top swimmer Petar Stoychev (R). Photo by Mtel
Bulgaria's first mobile operator Mtel awarded Tuesday the top swimmer Petar Stoychev a brand new BMW and the sum of BGN 20,000 on the occasion of becoming the fastest man to swim across the English Channel.
The sportsman managed to cross the 40 kilometres separating England from France in under seven hours.
Stoychev crossed the straits of Dover in six hours, 57 minutes and 50 seconds, a full six minutes faster than the time of previous record holder Christof Wandratsch.
The Bulgarian has won the Open Water World Championships seven times and has long targeted the English Channel record, never succeeding until now.