'Well done champ!': Auckland girl becomes the youngest female to swim Cook Strait
A 12-year-old Auckland girl has become the youngest female to swim the Cook Strait.
Caitlin O'Reilly crossed the channel in seven hours, 19 minutes and 15 seconds, at about 9.30pm on Friday.
She was welcomed with roars of approval from her support team, who yelled "well done champ".
The crossing began at Ohau Point near Makara in Wellington at 2pm, and she hit the shore just north of Perano Head in the Marlborough Sounds.
Caitlin O'Reilly during her swim. Source: Coast Swim Club, Facebook.
The 12-year-old, who has been training under coach John Gatfield for about a year, said it was a tough title to win.
"I was sore, tired and cold - I felt like crap but I feel pretty proud of myself," she told Fairfax.
THE FINISH:
Cook Strait swim coordinator Philip Rush commended Caitlin for her incredible feat.
"She's a 12-and-a-half year old girl who's done what only 103 people have done since 1963. She's scared of the dark and we finished in the dark," he said.
Caitlin O'Reilly before her race. Source: Coast Swim Club, Facebook.
Caitlin, from the Coast Swim Club in Silverdale, stole the title from Stephanie Bennington who was previously the youngest female to swim the Cook Strait in 2007 when she was 13.
However, the youngest person to swim the Cook Strait is Aditya Raut, from India, who was 11 at the time of his swim in 2005.
Caitlin's coach was 13 years and three months when he did it in 2004.
