The Brief
- Maya Merhige, of Berkeley, completed the open water swim across the legendary Strait of Gibraltar.
- It took her less than four hours to make the formidable channel swim.
- She’s on her way to becoming the youngest to complete the ultra elite Oceans Sevens marathon swim challenge.
ALGECIRAS, Spain – Berkeley native Maya Merhige this week completed a grueling open-water marathon swim across the punishing Strait of Gibraltar, bringing her one step closer to becoming the youngest person to achieve a feat only reached by about 50 people in the world.
What we know:
On Tuesday, the 19-year-old crossed the 8.95 mile historic strait between Spain and Morocco, which connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea. …