Atina Bojadzi, also known as the Ohrid dolphin, was the first woman from the Balkan region to swim the English Channel. Raised on the shores of Lake Ohrid, she had plenty of opportunities to practice swimming, and she certainly made the most of them. She started breaking swimming records and winning prizes when she was only 11 years old.
In 1962, at the age of 18, she became the youngest champion ever in the Ohrid swimming marathon. After having swum the route Capri-Napoli, apart from being a fresh-water champion, she also became the world champion in salty waters.
However, these did not mark the peak of her career. She reached culmination in her career by conquering the ultimate swimming challenge, the 34 kilometer the English Channel. The channel represents such a big challenge not only because of its length but because of its cold water, unpredictable currents and rough seas. When faced with the freezing waters of the Channel she was tempted to give up. Nevertheless, she persevered to complete the journey. Coming across extremely cold currents in the last two or three kilometers of the route forced her to muster her last atom of strength, and swim three more long hours to reach the shore. After 13 hours and 20 minutes, she finally managed to get to climb up out of the surf, fainting from exhaustion.
Her feat was an inspiration for the feature film “Stand Up Straight, Delfina,” which won several Yugoslavian and international awards. It is one of the best loved Macedonian films. Her achievement was also the subject of a British SKY television documentary.
In 1998, the Macedonian Olympic Committee recognized Bojadzi as a giant of Macedonian sport. In 2000 the Macedonian daily Utrinski Vesnik (Morning News) proclaimed her Macedonian “Sportswoman of the Century.”
Bojadzi built upon her fame to become a representative in the Yugoslavian Assembly, dedicating her lefe to public service. Today, despite the passage of time, she continues to serve us as an inspiration to people in Macedonia, and an example of what is possible when we embrace challenges with determination to succeed.
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