Legends of Marco Polo
The athletes who shaped Marco Polo, from the first champion on Lake Geneva in 1931 to the British double of 2026. Every profile includes the full story, career statistics and head-to-head records.
Hendrika “Hennie” Valkhof4 world titles · “The Harbour Glide”
Lucien Morand1 world title · “The Lifeguard's Line”
Sven-Olof Rydqvist2 world titles · “Long-range calling”
Ottavio Marzanello3 world titles · “The Silent Breaststroke”
Wendell Okafor-Brigham3 world titles · “The Pressure Marco”
Ilse Grünwaldt2 world titles · “Cold-water endurance”
Bertrand Pélissou2 world titles · “The Bridge”
Marisol Etxeberria1 world title · “Surf-reader”
Callum Reidford3 world titles · “The Clydeside Whisper”
Bogdan Vrhovac1 world title · “Home-water specialist”
Lieselotte Achterberg4 world titles · “The Low Crouch”
Lars-Erik Hovland2 world titles · “The Fjord”
Kaori Ishizuchi6 world titles · “The Stillness”
Rutger Blauwhoed0 world titles · “—”
Ngaio Te Rangimarie5 world titles · “The Kelp Drift”
Tomasz Wierzbowski3 world titles · “The Metronome”
Femi Adebayo-Lindqvist3 world titles · “The Data Swimmer”
Aaron Warburton1 world title · “The Echo”
Jonathon Couriard1 world title · “The Ear”
Joon-ho Baekwol1 world title · “Wave-timer”
Mathis Delacroix-Brun1 world title · “The Sprinter”