Updated Monday, 10.30pm

Endurance athlete Neil Agius climbed a beach ladder unaided at Għar Lapsi at 9.40pm on Monday, completing a world record 140km non-stop swim, around Malta, Gozo and Comino. 

A large crowd burst into long applause as the 38-year-old emerged from the water after 52 hours, made his way to a chair, and waved to well-wishers after having surpassed his own world record distance of 125.7km achieved in 2021. 

"It was not a swim for me, it was a swim for Malta," Agius said in a short comment, looking remarkably well after having been in the water for three days and three nights.

Neil Agius about to sit on a chair, marking the official end of his record-making swim. Photo: Jonathan Borg

Belgian ultra-athlete Matthieu Bonne swam 131km around Greece in 60 hours and 55 minutes last year, but his record has not yet been officially verified.

Doctors quickly checked Agius before he walked up the slipway amid the continued cheers of the crowd. Those welcoming him included Prime Minister Robert Abela and MPs from both sides of the political aisle. European Parliament president Roberta Metsola in a Facebook post said this was a superhuman feat and Neil Agius was "The personification of ‘Never Give Up’. An inspiration to all of us."

Neil Agius is checked by paramedics. (Photo Jonathan Borg)

His swim will now have to be ratified by the World Open Water Swimming Association, the governing body that oversees this ultra-endurance sport.  

Agius kicked off his attempt on Saturday at Mellieħa’s Għadira Bay shortly after 9am. 

At 2pm on Sunday, he had swam clockwise around Malta, made it to Gozo and was rounding the sister island, en-route back to Malta.

By 7.45am on Monday he had completed 75% of the planned swim.

He was cheered along by supporters on a small flotilla of boats.  

A section of the crowd witness Neil Agius make history at Ghar Lapsi on Monday evening.

Agius set his own record back in 2021, when he swam from Linosa to Malta for a distance of 125.7km and finished in Xlendi, Gozo. 

This was Agius’ first attempt at breaking that record after he was forced to abandon a similar swim in Spain last year. 

790kgs of marine waste collected by volunteers

Agius used the swim to raise awareness about the state of Malta’s marine habitat in collaboration with NGO Wave of Change and marine clean-up specialists Żibel.

Żibel coordinated three coastal clean-ups during the swim, with a third and final one planned for Monday postponed due to bad weather. So far the collaboration has seen some 790kg of marine waste collected by volunteers who gathered in Spinola Bay, St Julian’s on Saturday, and St Thomas Bay, Marsascala, on Sunday.  

The public was also invited to collect waste on their own and deposit it in specialised Żibel bins located across the country.   

All waste collected will be sorted and the aim is to use them to power fully-circular projects.  

The prime minister and Sports Minister Clifton Grima were among those who greeted Neil Agius.