Farthest distance swimming head-high crawl stroke in one hour in a 50 metre pool (male) (II)

The farthest distance swimming head-high crawl stroke in one hour in a 50 metre pool (male) (II) is 2.6 km (1.61 mi) and was achieved by Kazuaki Inoue (Japan) at Mie Prefectural Suzuka Sports Garden in Suzuka, Mie, Japan on 28 October 2022.

The challenge was especially for a stroke called head-high crawl which is often used for lifeguards and also water polo players, who need to keep an eye on their target. However, it is not considered efficient for swimming a long way as compared to the normal crawl stroke as the swimmer needs to keep his head up from the water surface which makes the swimmer's lower body sink easily and consumes a lot more stamina. To swim a long way with head-high crawl needs a lot of muscle strength.

The challenger Kazuaki Inoue has profound intellectual impairments and his father said that although he is a marvelous swimmer, as long as he doesn't have the sense of competing it is a big hurdle for him to aim and practice for a win. Hence Guinness World Records provides the motivation for him to focus on practicing at his own pace and extending the distance he can swim, as conveyed to us by his father.