September 15, 2023
Raha Akhavan, 45, has become the latest person to swim all the way around Manhattan, a distance of 30 miles (48.5 kilometers). The trip took her 10 hours on August 31. She said she did it to raise awareness about the rights of women in Iran. Born in the US, Akhavan is a university professor in Istanbul. She is a well-known long-distance swimmer, having already conquered the Catalina Channel in California and the English Channel.