West Cork man Steve Redmond is first to complete Oceans 7 Challenge

With the Olympics just a few days away, Irish sporting pride is already on a high with news that an Irish amateur swimmer has made history by completing the gruelling Seven Oceans challenge. Steve Redmond from Ballydehob in the scenic Mizen Head region of beautiful West Cork, completed this mammoth task of endurance swimming. One of the world’s toughest tests, it is endurance swimming’s equivalent to climbing the seven highest mountain peaks and involves swimming across the world’s most demanding and dangerous sea channels.

Redmond, an amateur swimmer and 47 year old father of two, who lives and works in West Cork, combines his training with his fulltime job, has also swam around the famous Fastnet Rock off the coast of West Cork. With regular training and swimming around West Corks tough coastal waters and in the waters of Loch Hyne, Ireland’s unique marine lake and nature reserve with its own distinctive mix of currents and climate, possibly played a key role in his success.

Coupled with continued local support and sponsorship along with his own innate dogged determination, will to succeed and amazing reserves of mental and physical strength and endurance has enabled amateur swimmer Redmond to accomplish a feat to rival that of any professional Olympic athlete.

Stumping professional athletes half his age, Redmond,who is set to come home to a rapturous welcome in Ballydehob this evening, is an inspiration and a great ambassador for Ireland and West Cork.