McCardel, Chloë (1985-…), is an Australian marathon swimmer. McCardel holds several world records. In 2021, McCardel swam the English Channel for the 44th time in 12 years (see English Channel swimming). She broke the previous world record of 43 crossings set by Alison Streeter of the United Kingdom from 1982 to 2004. 
McCardel first gained attention as a long-distance swimmer in 2009, when she completed her first solo swim across the English Channel in 12 hours and 3 minutes. In 2010, McCardel completed a two-way crossing of the channel in 21 hours and 48 minutes.
In 2013, McCardel attempted to swim some 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Havana, Cuba, to the Florida Keys without a protective shark cage. The attempt failed after 10 hours, when her arm became temporarily paralyzed by jellyfish stings. She set the record for the longest official unassisted solo ocean swim by a woman, swimming 77.3 miles (124.4 kilometers) from Eleuthera Island to Nassau in the Bahamas, in 2014.
McCardel swam the English Channel three times in 36 hours and 12 minutes in 2015, becoming the fourth person to complete a triple-crossing without stopping. Over the course of 2016, McCardel crossed the channel eight times, breaking the record number of crossings made by an individual in one year. McCardel surpassed the men’s record number of channel crossings, held by Kevin Murphy of the United Kingdom, in 2020 with her 35th crossing.
McCardel was born on May 10, 1985, in Melbourne, Australia. Embarrassed that she could not swim, McCardel began taking swimming lessons when she was 11 years old. McCardel attended Genazzano Secondary School in Victoria from 1997 to 2002. She continued swimming as a junior elite swimmer, never qualifying for national or international swimming competitions. At the age of 19, McCardel decided to concentrate on long-distance events. In 2003, she enrolled at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2010. In addition to swimming, McCardel has coached other open-water swimmers.
