Young swimmer Andre Camilleri has set a national record, becoming the youngest person ever, at the age of 10, to swim the five-and-a-half kilometre channel between Gozo and Malta.

Andre set his record during this year’s edition of the annual Malta-Gozo-Malta Open Water Swimming Competition organised by Birkirkara St Joseph Sports Club last Saturday.

“It was always a dream of mine to complete the channel swim,” he told the Times of Malta.

“I’ve been preparing for it for more than a year. I asked my mother many times whether I could do it, and finally she said yes.”

Andre during the swim on Saturday.

Despite his young age, Andre is no stranger to long-distance swimming. He finished first in the under-14 category in a series of open water races organised by Birkirkara St Joseph earlier this year, and is also a fledgling triathlete. According to his mother Leslin, Andre’s love affair with the sea began at a very young age, despite neither of his parents being particularly keen swimmers.

“By the time he was three he was asking us to remove his armbands so he could swim properly,” Ms Camilleri said.

“We started looking for coaching soon after that, even though everyone said he was too young.”

I want to take part in the Small Nations Games or the Olympics

Today, Andre’s training regime typically includes nine training sessions every week, which often means waking up at 5.45am, rain or shine, to fit in an early-morning session at the National Pool before rushing off to school.

Last Saturday’s race, along with 79 other swimmers from Ras il-Qala in Gozo to Marfa, was his longest open-water swim to date, but Andre never doubted his ability to finish.

“I was thinking how beautiful the sea is,” he said of his state of mind during the race, “especially when I got to swim past the side of Comino.”

Andre said he was proud to go down in history as the youngest person to complete the race, but his eyes are already set on the next challenge – an open-water swim from Sirens to St Paul’s Islands.

As for the long term, his sights are set high.

“I want to take part in the Small Nations Games or the Olympics,” he said. “But for now I’ll just see what opportunities come my way.”