At just 16 years old, Maya Merhige is already one of the successful open water swimmers on this sport.
Over the weekend, she swam the English Channel – one in every of the hardest open water swimming competitions on the planet – and accomplished the Open Water Triple Crown by swimming the English Channel, the Catalina Channel and the 20 Bridges Swim in Manhattan.
But what Merhige is most pleased with is that, despite her success, her skills within the water have made an actual difference for people battling cancer.
Merhige has greater than 100,000 US dollars in regards to the organization Swim Across America, which supports cancer research by hosting charity swims resembling the English Channel swim.
Merhige is deeply affected by the difficulty because she herself had a health scare last 12 months. She was hospitalized when doctors discovered a tumor in her pancreas. They ultimately determined it wasn't cancer, but Merhige gained a brand new appreciation for what cancer patients undergo.
When asked what it means to boost money for cancer research, Merhige said, “For me, that's the most important part of swimming.”
“It's been incredible to be able to raise so much money doing something I love. I know the doctors who will benefit from the money I raise and I know that all the work they do is really important.”
Merhige has been swimming since she was nine years old, but she has taken a liking to open water swimming since the sport presents so many alternative challenges. Similar to marathon running, open water swimmers must swim long distances over difficult terrain. It is one in every of the hardest swimming disciplines because it places a whole lot of strain on the body and tests the swimmer's endurance.
At age 14, Merhige became the youngest woman to win the Lake Tahoe Swimming Triple Crown, swimming 21.5 miles in 13 hours. Last 12 months, she became the youngest swimmer to finish the Kaiwi Molokai Channel, a 26-mile stretch between the Hawaiian islands of Molokai and Oahu.
But achieving the Triple Crown in open water swimming was never Merhige's goal. It just so happened that she accomplished the opposite two major swimming competitions on the way in which there.
In 2021, she accomplished the 20-mile swim across the Catalina Channel, which runs from Catalina Island to mainland California, in 10 hours and 48 minutes. Last 12 months, she accomplished the 28.5-mile 20 Bridges swim in New York City in 8 hours and 43 minutes.
Despite having already accomplished the Catalina and 20 Bridge swimming events at such a young age, crossing the English Channel isn’t any easy task.
The English Channel is understood for its abundance of jellyfish and sharks, which may deter swimmers. The swim also takes place at night and there are strong currents, making it difficult to predict what obstacles the water might bring.
“For me, it’s much easier to swim in the dark because you can’t really think about what’s going on,” Merhige said.
But Merhige's experience made the difference on Saturday. She accomplished the swim in 11 hours and 39 minutes, winning the Triple Crown.
Merhige is the 334th swimmer and the third youngest to ever accomplish this prestigious feat.
“We are incredibly proud of Maya and her determination and courage to compete in these swimming events,” Merhige's mother Liz Tung said in a press release. “We never imagined that Maya, who was just nine years old when she swam her first Swim Across America – the open water swim in San Francisco – would develop such a passion for open water swimming and make it this far. To win the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming at just 16 years old is just incredible! We are so happy for her!”
There was a likelihood that Merhige wouldn’t have been in this case when doctors discovered the tumor in her pancreas in May 2023. During the ten-day treatment, she was unable to depart the hospital and needed to take a break from training.
But during this time she developed a deeper understanding of what she had been swimming for her entire life.
“I think being in the hospital last year has made me more aware of what it feels like,” Merhige said. “My experience was very different from that of a cancer patient. But as a child in the hospital, I understand it much better now. In the last few years, many people around me have struggled with cancer, so I just understand it better.”
Her latest perspective has also impacted her family. Merhige's father, Chris Merhige, said he’s now much more grateful to the doctors in Berkeley who helped treat his daughter.
“UCSF and the great work they do is so present for me,” he said. “We see it every day when we drive along Highway 24. Many of our friends have unfortunately been treated there. To help Maya represent the area and contribute to the great work UCSF does is a really meaningful experience.”
Maya is a rising senior at Berkeley High School and isn't sure if she desires to pursue a profession as a swimmer yet, but she plans to remain energetic in the game and hopefully be someone younger swimmers can look as much as.
“For me, it was really exciting and fun,” Merhige said. “I think it also opened the doors for a lot of other younger open water swimmers and showed them that they can achieve a lot. A lot of open water swimming is not accessible to younger swimmers, but just being able to show them that these things are not necessarily just for adults and that you can do it if you want to. That was really exciting for me.”
Originally published:
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