The impossible made possible: A historic swim across the Baltic Sea

By Harsh Thakor 

Swimming across the Baltic is one of the most enduring, and almost miraculous, unimaginable or insurmountable missions in long-distance swimming. The swimmer faces the perils of not only a considerable distance but also fluctuating weather, cold water, waves and mounting physical fatigue. A Polish man has become the first person ever to swim across the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Poland. On Sunday, Bartłomiej Kubkowski swam 100 miles (160km) from Kaseberga, in southern Sweden, to Dziwnów, on Poland's northern Baltic coast, taking 56 hours.

The Pole's historic success has set new parameters or scaled untouched barriers in the sporting world, transcending realms surreal, unexplored or almost miraculous. His feat underscores his unwavering perseverance and determination to reach the summit despite past failures. This journey was testament to mental resilience, courage and physical endurance in regions almost supernatural and a metaphor of how a human being can achieve glory overcoming the most adverse odds – transcending spiritual dimensions and giving vibrations of a spirit reborn. It was reminiscent of an essay manifesting human endeavour and energy at its pinnacle.

Kubkowski was the ultimate mascot of willpower to overcome the gravest adversity. His past failures intensified his resolve to attain the 'impossible'. There could not be a better illustration of how to learn lessons from past failures to claw one's self back or resurrect and never be discouraged, reminiscent of a wounded soldier coming back on his feet to fight a triumphant battle. His resurrection after coming so close but failing before stands as a lesson to aspirants even transcending the boundaries of sport or physical accomplishments.

Mr Kubkowski had attempted the crossing four times previously, but had failed. The 30-year-old first attempted the feat in 2021, and made it 71 miles. In 2022, he was forced to give up at 73 miles, and in 2023 he swam 81 miles during snowy conditions. In August last year, he was pulled from the water just seven miles from the Polish coast, having swum 99 miles over 55 hours, because of extreme fatigue and deteriorating weather. He came within touching distance of his goal in 2025, when he covered around 159 kilometres and spent 53 hours in the water. He was then only about 15 kilometres short of the Polish coast. That attempt was called off because of extreme exhaustion. Over the years he steadily enhanced his performance and acquired the experience needed to conquer unexplored horizons.

This time, the athlete imbibed lessons from his previous experience. His preparations comprised gruelling sessions of swim training, endurance exercises, work on mental resilience, self-exploration and experimentation, and a balanced nutrition strategy. During the swim, he was unable to sleep or touch the support boat that provided him with food and drink. So far, he has raised more than 790,000 zloty (£157,178) for Cancer Fighters, a children's cancer charity, from the challenge. In a video posted on social media, Mr Kubkowski can be seen exiting the waters in ecstasy, to cheers and applause from crowds on the beaches of Dziwnów before collapsing onto the sand.

During the crossing, Kubkowski was unable to sleep and, although a support boat accompanied him and provided food and drink, he was not allowed to touch the vessel itself. However, Kubkowski, a former competitive swimmer who now devotes himself to ultraswimming, did last year manage to break the world record for the longest distance swum in a swimming pool over 24 hours, after he managed to cover 103.6 km (64.5 miles).

Another Polish swimmer, Karolina Szczepaniak, is also currently attempting to swim from Sweden to Poland along a slightly different route to Kubkowski's. At the time of writing, she is around 110km into the 172km journey, and has raised almost 400,000 zloty for charity. Szczepaniak, a former Olympic swimmer, also attempted the feat last year, but was forced to give up after 57 hours amid worsening weather. However, the 146.7km she swam set a new record for the longest distance covered by a female swimmer in the Baltic Sea and a Polish record for open-water swimming by a woman.

Bartlomiej Kubkowski won 40 medals at the Polish Championships and competed in European and World Cups. Last year, he broke the world record for the longest distance swum in a swimming pool in 24 hours after swimming 64.5 miles. His latest swim was close to the record for the longest-ever continuous unassisted open-water swim, which Sarah Thomas, an American swimmer, set in Lake Champlain between the US states of New York and Vermont in 2017. Kubkowski dedicated his success to the beneficiaries of the Cancer Fighters foundation, for whom a fundraiser was organised during the challenge. For years the swimmer has combined extreme sport with charity work.

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Harsh Thakor is a freelance journalist who swam the English Channel and Lake Zurich