This Friday, June 30, 2023, Stève Stievenart alias “Le Phoque” struck another big blow in the world of open water swimming.
By managing to complete three non-stop crossings between Catalina Island and Los Angeles, the extreme sportsman thus becomes the first whitewater swimmer to accomplish this “three way” feat.
For the occasion, a look back at the exceptional journey of a “sea monster” who says he was saved by the sea.
Stève Stievenart: a youth at 100 per hour
Son of a car racer and grandson of a professional cyclist, Stève Stievenart born in 1977 in the north of France.
At a good school, he flourished in motor sports, before putting on sneakers in marathon mode.
Back to a youth at 100 an hour.
A flying start
From 2003 to 2005, Stève Stievenart is not yet Le Phoque.
Rather cut like a bleak, he competed in two Andros Trophy races during the winter of 2002-2003, before signing for a full season the following year.
He won ten races, lost two and becomes the winner of the Promotion category.
He thus earned his stripes to compete in the elite category during the 2004-2005 season, where he distinguished himself once again by finishing second in the Super-Bresse stage. Just behind a certain Alain Prost.
Passion jet-ski
Passionate about motor sports, the northerner also shines behind the handlebars of his jet-ski.
Thus, he was only twenty-eight when he becomes world champion in the discipline.
A feat, while the athlete has just recovered from a serious accident which will force him to remain immobilized for several months due to fractured pelvis.
If Stève Stievenart is not yet the sea monster that we know today, the seed of champion already seems beautiful and well planted!
From Marathon to Ironman
In 2003, in parallel with his career as a jet-skier, Stève Stievenart put on sneakers and started running a marathon.
We then find him behind the start line of the Luxembourg Marathon.
Four years later, in 2007, he completed the Paris marathon (3h15) then that of Dubai (3h18).
Result: an invitation to run the Ironman of Langkawi in Malaysia, which he finished in 1:33 p.m.
From Stève Stievenart to “Stève le Phoque”: swimming in open water as a lifeline
Divorce and financial difficulties: Stève Stievenart at the bottom of the wave
In 2017, the Northerner divorced. This is the beginning of a descent into hell. Separated from his three children, without money and without a home, he moved into a shed.
After a year of sinking, the defiant man decides to resurface. He then threw himself headlong into the fulfillment of his childhood dream: swim across the English Channel.
At the origin of this idea, a happy childhood memory, when his grandfather took him every year at the start of the Channel crossing.
Fascinated by these extreme athletes, the young Stève thought this dream unattainable.
At the bottom of the abyss, when he has nothing left to lose, the father clings to this idea, driven by the desire to reconnect with his children.
To reemerge
To realize his dream, Stève Stievenart then 40 years old goes into exile in England where swimming in open water is practiced much more than in France.
There he met Kevin Murphy, known in particular for his thirty-four times the Channel, including three round trips.
Kevin Murphy agrees to train him in his Dover club on one condition: train for three years.
On the program: a year to learn, a year to understand, a year to get through.
The birth of “Steve the Seal”
Cut like a marathon runner, Stève Stievenart begins his physical transition.
Channel temperature not exceeding 15°C, it needs to be fat. The sporty one decides to eat like sealshence his nickname “Steve the Seal”.
Goodbye protein and oatmeal, hello oily fish!
On the menu, sardines, mackerel and herring. Result : plus 47 kilos on the scale.
Its particular diet coats it with brown fat, a powerful fuel and insulator that allows it to survive several hours in cold water.
His physical transformation and his collaboration with Kevin Murphy prove to be winning.
In August 2020, he thus became the first Frenchman to complete the Channel round trip, wearing a simple swimming trunks.
A sea monster with the life of an ascetic
After this first feat, the extreme swimmer is determined to keep going.
Convinced of having been saved by the sea, he embarked on a true ascetic life.
On the program every day: cold shower, open windows and daily training, whatever the weather.
The goal: to acclimatize your body to the cold.
On the sports training side, the swimmer returns to the English Channel at each high tide, i.e. one workout per day and one workout per night.
After each session, the sportsman coats his body with clay in order to relieve his skin and his muscles. A ritual to which are added meditation sessions.
One way, two way and now three way! The Seal’s latest feat
Accustomed to exploits, the extreme swimmer became this Friday, June 30, 2023 the first open water swimmer to complete three non-stop crossings between Catalina Island and Los Angeles.
Leaving Catalina Island on Tuesday evening, the Seal thus swam 51 hours 18 minutes and 3 seconds to travel more than 120 km.
A historic event in the world of open water swimming.
Stève Stievenart was supported by a team of fifteen people.
The adventure almost ended faster than expected, whena kayaker came to hit him violently on the head and back during the first crossing.
Despite severe pain and when he was thinking of giving up at the end of the first stage, the athlete finally found the necessary resources to overcome the “three way”.
A look back at an already impressive track record
Before the “three way”, the Seal had already signed some of the most beautiful sporting exploits in open waters.
A look back at some key dates on his list.
August 2020: first French round trip across La Manche (105 km in 34 hours and 45 minutes); November 2021: new record holder for the latest crossing of the English Channel; February 2022: complete the Triple Crown (La Manche, Manhattan and Santa Catalina); June 2022: first male swimmer in the world to complete the double Triple Crown (two laps of Manhattan, “two way” of La Manche, “two way” of Catalina); August 2022: first Frenchman to complete the Triple Crown circuit of the Lacs des Montres (United States). Updated by Quentin on: 02/07/2023
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