“Wingless Warrior” calls on others with no arms to try and break her record
Australia’s Kerry-Lee Gockel is on a mission to swim as far as she possibly can – and she’s already making waves in the record books in pursuit of that dream.
On 21 August 2025, she circumnavigated Great Keppel Island (aka Wop-pa) – an isle off the coast of Yeppoon in her home state of Queensland – to achieve not only a personal-best distance but also a world record.
Covering 20.4 km (12.7 mi) in all, it is now recognized as the longest swim in GWR’s AA3 impairment category, which allows for fins/buoyancy aids at the swimmer’s discretion. (Head here for the full list of GWR’s impairment classifications.)
The open-water swimmer, who works for the Queensland Treasury, completed the journey in tandem with a companion swimmer (Joep Buijs). He accompanied her as a precaution should she get into trouble and also to help dispense food and drink while in the water – another form of assistance sanctioned for this category.
Such exemptions are permitted for safety reasons because Gockel has to swim in a particular way: on her back and relying solely on her feet for propulsion and staying afloat. This is because she was born without arms – a result of the hereditary condition congenital amelia.
Not having arms, of course, comes with a range of challenges, but for Gockel challenges are very much there to be overcome. Particularly if the end-goal is exploring a passion, testing your limits or even just getting the most out of a hobby that you really enjoy. As it is for many people, her body is a key part of her identity and why she has proudly adopted the nickname the “Wingless Warrior”.
Gockel, who stars in the upcoming GWR 2027 book, spoke exclusively to GWR and reflected on the path that led to her title: “Back in 2005, my swim coach, James, suggested I try open-water swimming. I’d been swimming and competing in local pool events for a few years and I think he could tell I needed a new focus.
“My first open-water swim was in June 2005 and it was 1 km. From then on, I was hooked! It is completely different to pool swimming and I love that no two swims are ever the same.”
The people in my swimming community [inspire me]. I have family and friends who set themselves big goals, put the work in and do extraordinary things. I’ve learnt from them and I am inspired by them to keep challenging my own limits to explore and expand what’s possible for me – Kerry-Lee Gockel, the “Wingless Warrior”
Over the years, Gockel continued to ramp up the distance to see just how far she could push herself. This led to her competing in two local 10-km (6.2-mi) charity swims from Mudjimba Beach to Mudjimba Island (Old Woman Island) to Mooloolaba Beach, firstly in 2022 and then again in 2023.
“Prior to swimming around Wop-pa Great Keppel Island," Gockel said, "I had completed three 10-km swims and a 15-km training swim, so [20 km] was considerably further than I’d gone before and I was in the water for much longer.”
Kerry-Lee with her GWR certificate and husband, Paul, who accompanied her on a relay swim around Great Keppel/Wop-pa in 2024
The other 10-km swim she had chalked up had, in fact, been a relay swim around Great Keppel/Wop-pa island the previous year in 2024, when she and her husband, Paul, had completed half of the distance each, taking it in turns to swim 1-km stretches.
Of course, practice can only get you so far, however, because – particularly with any records taking place in nature – you never quite know what you’ll be confronted with on the day...
“The conditions in the first half of the swim were the roughest I’d ever been in,” Gockel recalled. “In some ways, though, the experience felt more comfortable than some of those shorter swims. I put that down to having a solid plan, training hard and leaving no stone unturned in my preparation.
"The belief that I could do it and sheer grit when it got tough were definitely part of it too.”
As hard as it may have been, getting to the end of that swim proved to Gockel exactly what she is capable of, which as many record breakers often discover is much more than they might first credit themselves.
Kerry-Lee celebrating with her support team on Great Keppel Island/Wop-pa
To say Gockel was chuffed on her record being confirmed would be an understatement, as she elaborated, “It feels surreal! I’m fiercely proud and it’s very cool to be part of open-water swimming history. While the record is mine, the achievement belongs to an amazing team of family and friends who helped me get there.”
But it’s not all about her personal achievement. Gockel is hopeful that this record will inspire others to get out of their comfort zone and try out something new that either they – or perhaps wider society – might not think will necessarily be a good fit for them.
“Appearing in the GWR book is throwing down the gauntlet: if you think you can’t do hard things because of what you don’t have, think again. Records are meant to be broken – I want someone else with no arms to break this one!”
Gockel offered up some very clear and simple pointers for anyone thinking of taking on a record – regardless of ability – that apply to open-water swimming but pretty much any other discipline too:
- Set a goal. It doesn’t matter where you start, just start. Remember, my first open-water swim was 1 km.
- Find your people and learn from them – there is so much joy in being part of a community!
- Put in the work. There’s no substitute for training hard.
- Always have fun along the way!
While she might be calling on others to try and claim her current title, it doesn’t sound like Gockel herself is done with world records just yet either. “There are some longer swims that I have my eye on... but that’s all I’ll say for now!”
Gockel isn’t the only adaptive adventurer to star in a dedicated feature in the GWR 2027 book (launching globally on 10 September). Other extraordinary explorers who have had to overcome more barriers than others when taking on some of the planet's most extreme environments include Craig Wood (UK) – the first triple amputee to sail across an ocean solo – and Jonny Huntington (UK) – the first disabled person to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole.