Shoulder pain forced an Ottawa teen to abandon her swim across Lake Ontario.
Maya Farrell’s father says the 16-year-old was pulled from the water early Sunday morning as she attempted an 88 km swim from Rochester, New York to Brighton, Ontario.
It’s the widest stretch on Lake Ontario.
Farrell’s father says Maya travelled about 35 km in 20 hours, but she battled pain in her right shoulder for about four hours. He said “In the end, we made the decision for her, because Vicki (coach Vicki Keith) and I knew she would not voluntarily get out of the water.”
Maya was coached by legendary Canadian marathon swimmer Vicki Keith.
In 2016, Farrell attempted to become the youngest person to swim across Lake Ontario from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Toronto. After swimming for over 24 hours and less than 300 metres from shore, Farrell was forced out of the water due to lightning.