A 15-year-old girl from Bolton, Ont., has become the youngest person to swim solo across Lake Ontario.
Jade Scognamillo arrived at Marilyn Bell Park on the Toronto waterfront Saturday afternoon, completing the 52-kilometre swim in 19 hours, 59 minutes and 49 seconds. She had set out at 9:33 p.m. Friday night from Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Jade Scognamillo speaks with CBC-TV after swimming across Lake Ontario. (CBC)Jade set two records last year on neighbouring Lake Erie. This year, she wanted to take on the lake and the route that made Marilyn Bell a household name in Canada.
Bell was 16 when she became the first female to make the crossing 55 years ago.
"It's not something people do every day," Jade said as she prepared for the swim. "It's something that will turn heads and help me raise money for [Toronto's] Sick Kids hospital.
"I wanted to swim Lake Ontario since I was 10 or 11."
The swim was postponed twice this summer because of poor weather conditions and cold water.
