14.6.5.3. Mao swim across the Yangtze river (毛主席畅游长江, 1966-07-16)
Good South China Morning Post (SCMP, 南华早报) article: https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/1999098/chairman-maos-historic-swim-glorified-china
Mao claimed to have set a swimming record by swimming 15km in 65 minutes at the age of 72 at the Yangtze River (长江, Long River) in Wuhan, or an average of 13.8 km/h.
As a comparison, the Olympic swimmers of 2016 covered the lesser distance of 10 km in 113 minutes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimming_at_the_2016_Summer_Olympics_–_Men%27s_marathon_10_kilometre for an average of 5.3 km/h.
According to this article, the maximum current speed of the Yantze is 128.5 cm/s or 4.62 km/h so even if he were swimming with the current, Mao was faster.
In The Private Life of Chairman Mao (毛泽东私人医生回忆录) however, the doctor says that this was actually true, the current was enough to drag Mao’s big belly quite fast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k1ZWoM6g8w How to swim in Wuhan’s Yangtze river Blondie in China (2019)
Dictatorships would never lie about obviously verifiable facts, would they?
And idiots today still celebrate this event that preceded the Cultural Revolution (文化大革命, 1966-1976) which put China’s economy in shambles.
Superputin (Супер Путин) learnt from this and also showed off his swimming skills in 2009.
Figure 180. Source.
Good South China Morning Post (SCMP, 南华早报) article: https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/1999098/chairman-maos-historic-swim-glorified-china
Mao claimed to have set a swimming record by swimming 15km in 65 minutes at the age of 72 at the Yangtze River (长江, Long River) in Wuhan, or an average of 13.8 km/h.
As a comparison, the Olympic swimmers of 2016 covered the lesser distance of 10 km in 113 minutes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimming_at_the_2016_Summer_Olympics_–_Men%27s_marathon_10_kilometre for an average of 5.3 km/h.
According to this article, the maximum current speed of the Yantze is 128.5 cm/s or 4.62 km/h so even if he were swimming with the current, Mao was faster.
In The Private Life of Chairman Mao (毛泽东私人医生回忆录) however, the doctor says that this was actually true, the current was enough to drag Mao’s big belly quite fast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k1ZWoM6g8w How to swim in Wuhan’s Yangtze river Blondie in China (2019)
Dictatorships would never lie about obviously verifiable facts, would they?
And idiots today still celebrate this event that preceded the Cultural Revolution (文化大革命, 1966-1976) which put China’s economy in shambles.
Superputin (Супер Путин) learnt from this and also showed off his swimming skills in 2009.
