Endurance swimmer on Sunday at swimming 103 miles in open water from Cuba to Florida. Nyad, 62, was 67 nautical miles and 40 hours into the swim when she was forced out of the water by Portuguese man o’ war stings and strong cross-currents that had pushed her off course. It is her second failed attempt at the crossing since August. Nyad said that the stings had paralyzed some of her back muscles, and doctors warned that additional stings could lead to long-term health problems. “I’ve never been in any pain, ever, like that in my whole life,” . Nyad first attempted to swim from Cuba in 1978 but quit after encountering bad weather and strong currents. After a lengthy retirement from long-distance swimming, during which she launched a successful career as a radio host in Los Angeles, she attempted the crossing for the second time one month ago. That attempt foundered when Nyad injured her shoulder and suffered an 11-hour asthma attack. Nyad has not announced plans to attempt the swim again. “It’s such a bitter pill,” she said on Sunday, after her third attempt. “I am so capable of that swim. That’s the end though.”
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