Jacques Amyot, 1st man to swim across Lac St-Jean, dead at 93

Jacques Amyot, a long-distance swimmer whose conquests included Quebec's Lac St-Jean, a circumnavigation of le d'Orlans and two crossings of the English Channel, has died at age 93.

Amyot died Sept. 7 in Quebec City, where he was born.

He began his sporting career as a cyclist, but switched to long-distance swimming, finishing second in his first competition a three-kilometre race across Lac St-Joseph near Quebec City in 1939 when he was 14.

KimPriv,chairof the annual Traverseinternational du Lac St-Jean, said that while Amyot may not be as well known among English Canadians, he is a legend among distance swimmers.

Untilthe end, he was in "exceptional shape," Priv said. Except for this year, he would always come to the annual crossing.

"Every year he made a point of honour of attending the fundraising evening in May and during the week of the competition in July.He took great pleasure being there at the finish line," Priv said.

7 swimmers set out, only Amyotfinished

On July 23, 1955, Amyot was one of seven swimmers who set out to cross the 26 kilometres from Vauvert to Roberval in less-than-ideal conditions.

Storms and high waves impeded the progress of the swimmers, Priv said.

Amyot was the only swimmer to complete the crossing, in a time of 11 hours, 32 minutes, and 10 seconds.

A modest man, Priv said his explanation for completing the crossing was because"there was no room in the boat."

"I had no choice but to cross the lake,"Amyot said afterwards.

Priv said the crossing of Lac St-Jean remains among the 10 most difficult physical challenges, because of the cold water, sometimes difficult conditions, and the length of time the swimmers are in the water.

Her organizing committee plans to send a delegation of swimmers to Amyot's funeral.

'He was an athlete,' a competitor

"Lac St-Jean was in his blood," Nicoll Allard, a friend of Amyot's, told CBC. "He was an athlete. He always wanted to compete."

Allardrecalled how his friend Amyot would joke thathe was only the first to complete the crossing "because he was the first to try."

Amyot was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Association as the first swimmer to successfully cross Lac St-Jean.

In 1956, he swam the English Channel, starting in France, in 13 hours, against strong current and cold water temperatures.

Hewas the first French Canadian to swim the Channel.

And in 1975, at age 50, he made his second Channel crossing, this time starting in England, trimming half an hour from his original time.

Amyot also swam long distances in the St. Lawrence and other Quebec rivers.

He was named to Quebec's sports hall of fame in 1993, Quebec's swimming hall of fame in 1998 and was madea Chevalier in the Ordre national du Qubecin 2001.