Gilles Rondy

Gilles Rondy (born 4 September 1981 in Brest) is a French open water swimmer. A former member of the French national team, he was European champion over 25 km in 2006 and has held the French record for the English Channel swim since 2004. He is also known for a series of long-distance solo crossings and for his environmental advocacy for the protection of the seas and oceans.

Biography Originally from Brittany, Gilles Rondy grew up in a culture shaped by the ocean before living for several years in Martinique, and then settling in the French Basque Country, where he now lives with his wife and two daughters. He describes open water swimming as a space of "power and silence", one that led him from elite competition to a broader commitment to protecting the seas and oceans.

He took part in the World Championships in 2001 (Fukuoka), 2003 (Barcelona), 2005 (Montreal), 2006 (Naples), 2007 (Melbourne) and 2008 (Seville), and won two medals at the European Championships in the 25 km open water event: silver in Berlin in 2002 and gold in Budapest in 2006. According to his own account, he was ahead of world-record pace for more than five hours before a turn of the tide—following a start delayed by the weather—slowed him over the final kilometres.

Saint Lucia – Martinique (2017) On 13 May 2017, he became the first swimmer to cross from Saint Lucia to Martinique, through the channel separating the two islands, in 10 h 58 min over about 34 km. According to the Ultraswimming.org database, this was the first crossing ever recorded on this route ("Overall First"). The effort, estimated at 75,000 arm strokes, resulted in a 5 kg weight loss and critical moments described by the swimmer himself—"The last 10 kilometres took me four hours"—in particular during the night passage into the wind between Le Prêcheur and Le Carbet. RCI Martinique, Le Parisien, Ouest-France and Le Télégramme, as well as the international press, including the Romanian daily Libertatea.

Mediterranean Challenge: Calvi–Nice crossing (planned, 2026) Rondy is preparing, for the second half of August 2026, an attempt to swim across the Mediterranean Sea between Calvi (Corsica) and Nice (mainland), presented as a world first under these conditions. The straight-line distance between the two points is 160 km, but Mediterranean currents would bring the actual distance swum to about 180 km (up to 200 km by some estimates), for an estimated 60 to 120 hours of continuous swimming, without leaving the water or touching the escort boat, at a target average speed of about 3 km/h. The association's purpose is to promote open water swimming while supporting the protection of the Mediterranean Sea and marine environments; it states that it donates any financial surplus in full to a marine protection association, and specifies that no member of the board, including Gilles Rondy, receives any direct or indirect remuneration. the Romanian daily Libertatea, for the international coverage of the Martinique feat.