Librarian Avram Iancu reaches kilometre 858 within the Rhine swim race

Librarian Avram Iancu, who set off on a swim race on the Rhine River to support, in his own way, Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area, crossed the border into the Netherlands, reaching kilometre 858, 32 days after the start of his endeavor.

“It’s the day I crossed the last kilometres in Germany. It’s the day I reached the border between Germany and the Netherlands, at kilometre 858. We were escorted on this last leg in Germany by a great, experienced crew with a very big boat. (…) What last night, the arrival at the border, was an end, today it is just a new beginning,” the Romanian swimmer noted on his Facebook page on Thursday.

During the stage in Germany, the local regional media took an interest in the project that the Romanian swimmer is undertaking, his effort being covered by a TV station.

Librarian Avram Iancu set off on July 16 in Konstanz, Germany, in a 35-day challenge that will see him racing along the entire course of the Rhine River, in support of Romania’s Schengen accession, under the motto “Swim for Schengen, swim for Romania!”

The Petrosani-based librarian swam the 1,032 kilometres of the river without a wetsuit or other supporting elements, just like when he became the first man in the world to cross the Danube using just the strength of his arms.

In the summer of 2017, the multi-sport athlete from southwestern Petrosani swam the entire course of the Danube, without a wetsuit, over a distance of 2,860 kilometres, from the source to the mouth into the Black Sea