A pioneering long-distance swimmer, Montserrat Tresserras i Dou was the first person in the world to cross the English Channel in both directions, and the first woman from Spain to cross the Strait of Gibraltar in 1957. A typist by profession, as a teenager she discovered the sea and began her career as a swimmer at the age of 24. She swam from the port of Barcelona to various Catalan ports, and soon her goals grew more ambitious. Her first feat, that of swimming from the Iberian Peninsula to the coast of Africa in just over five hours, made front-page news at a time when sporting achievements by women were rare, due to inequality and restricted access. Just one year later, she swam the Channel, and her fame grew. Finally, in 1961, she achieved the most important milestone in her career, when she swam the English Channel in the opposite direction, from England to France. Her success established her as one of the most important long-distance swimmers of the 20th century, and a pioneer in women’s sport.
A pioneering long-distance swimmer, she was the first woman in the world to cross the English Channel in both directions and the first woman from Spain to cross the Strait of Gibraltar.