Tasburgh teen swimmer Alexandra Woods takes on English Channel challenge

A teenager, who aspires to compete in the Olympics, has taken on a challenge to swim the equivalent of the English Channel.

Alexandra Woods, of Tasburgh, swam 21 miles on June 1 and took about 10 hours in a single swim to reach the required distance.

The 14-year-old Long Stratton High School student raised around £2,000 for the St Felix School swimming club, of which she is a member, and the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Her father, Darren, said: “We are very proud of her. It was all her idea and she took inspiration from the movie Nyadwhich sees Diana Nyad swim from Cuba to Florida.

“As you have to be 16 to swim across the Channel, she wanted to do the equivalent in her club’s swimming pool.”

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Even though Alexandra, who has mild autism, had swollen eyes from wearing glasses for so long, she never looked like she was failing.

“She just kept going,” Mr. Woods said. “I think her autism allowed her to disconnect and get into her own space, which really helped her.”

The multi-medal winning regional swimmer, who wants to become a veterinarian when she is older, dreams of making it to the 2028 Olympic Games.

To help her achieve her goal, she has a grueling schedule which sees her training an hour away from Southwold twice a week – a point of struggle more for Mr Woods than the youngster.

“I’m 56 years old and I struggle to get up just after 4 a.m. to take her,” he said.

“But she's always there, slamming the door to go, because she has this urge to get in the pool and swim.

“She still wants to tackle the English Channel properly when she turns 16, so we will all support her and see where it goes.”