How did an American swim from the USA to the USSR and stop the Cold War
'14.05.2021'
Source: Znaj.ua
This unique woman swam across the Bering Strait and became the first person to swim from the United States to the Soviet Union, thus initiating the end of the Cold War.
After spending an 6 hour of 2 minutes in 6-degree water, she crossed the Bering Strait 4160 meters from the American island of Small Diomede in Alaska to the Russian island of Big Diomede, tells Znaj.ua.
“I wanted to open the borders so that we could become friends. It was difficult, because no one believed that this could happen, ”Cox said after the swim.
The sportswoman got the idea to swim across the strait in 1976. Cox spent many years trying to get permission from the Soviet authorities to enter the territory of the USSR, but when in August 1987 her patience ran out, and the decision was never made, she just floated.
“We couldn't see anything, we didn't have radars, only canoes. Big Diomede is only 6,4 km wide, so everyone was afraid that I would just miss the island in the fog, ”- Lynn Cox.
This sensational swim, when for the first time a person literally was able to swim from the USA to the USSR, became stellar in the career of a 30-year-old extreme athlete, although by this time she already had several amazing records.
“I caught my breath,” the athlete recalled later. - I looked down: the fingers were gray, like a corpse. I swam with all my might, only occasionally glancing at my shoulders to check if they turned blue, as it is life-threatening. "
The last 800 meters were the most difficult due to the strong current. When Cox reached the shore, she could not get out of the water on her own due to too sharp stones.
“Two Russian soldiers grabbed me, I felt only the warmth of their hands. People threw blankets over me. I didn’t understand anything from what they said, except “Welcome!”
At the last moment, the Russian authorities decided to send a delegation with representatives of the KGB and sports stars. Soviet doctor Rita Zakharova helped coke to warm up.
“It is for this human contact that the whole swim was conceived. We were afraid of the Soviet people for so many years, and this woman warmed me up to bring me back to life, ”said the American.
The next morning, newspapers on both sides of the ocean came out with the headlines “Lynn Cox Melted the Ice,” “The Iron Curtain Came Down,” “The Cold War ended,” and so on.
It is also worth noting that in 1972 she swam the English Channel in 9 hours 57 minutes, a year later she improved this achievement by 21 minutes, in 1975 she became the first woman to conquer the Cook Strait dividing the islands of New Zealand in 1976 - The Strait of Magellan, and in 1978, in the shark-infested waters, Cox circled the Cape of Good Hope.
Lynn Cox was the first in the world who swam in the icy water of Baikal in 4 hours 18 minutes about 18 km. This unique event fell into the Guinness Book of Records.
