Speedo Performance of the Week, Presented by Pace Club: June 18, 2013

PHOENIX, Arizona, June 18. SOMETIMES a great performance doesn't reach the intended goal, but is lauded for simply attempting it. That was the case for Chloe McCardel, who jumped into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Havana, Cuba, last week on a quest to be the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark tank.

As you may know, McCardel did not reach Florida on her own. About 11 hours into the swim, she was stung numerous times by a school of jellyfish, stings so debilitating that they were in danger of affecting her breathing. She was pulled from the water and taken to a Florida hospital for treatment. She's doing fine now, but said in a press conference that she was not going to attempt the swim again. This is one of the most impossible open water swims in the world, and though you may think it's because of the distance, but it appears the greatest enemy is a bunch of invertebrate entities that react naturally when a foreign object — in this case a human swimmer — crosses their path.

Just for attempting this swim, Chloe, you've earned our Performance of the Week!

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