On This DayAustralia’s Linda McGill makes first swim around Hong Kong Island in 1976 – from the SCMP archive
On this day 50 years ago, Australia’s Linda McGill completed the first 45km swim around Hong Kong Island in 17 hours
This article was first published on May 23, 1976.
Australia’s long distance swimming heroine, Linda McGill, staggered ashore at crowded Repulse Bay beach yesterday afternoon (May 22, 1976) after completing her round Hong Kong Island swim and said: “I’d do it again – for A$20,000 (HK$883,817 in 2026).”
Linda, looking exhausted and close to collapse after just over 17 hours in the water, fell into the arms of her fiance, Dr Bruce Logan, and hundreds of spectators clapped and cheered.
With cameras clicking and whirring, the 29-year-old former Olympic star was helped off the beach and into a waiting taxi which took her to her hotel in Central.
Confessing to be very, very tired, she said: “That was the toughest, longest swim of my life. Now I really want to rest and rest.”
Linda took to the waves at Repulse Bay at 11.30pm on Friday night, considerably earlier than scheduled because of the threatening rain and thunderstorms. She waded ashore back at the popular beach at 4.36pm yesterday afternoon after experiencing many of the problems she had feared – but not, thankfully, sharks.
Late last night, manager John Foley denied speculation that McGill had actually been out of the water for some of the time taken to complete the 28-mile (45km) circuit of the island.