DAMASCUS, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- A famous Syrian swimmer on Saturday successfully accomplished the feat to cross over the waters between the island of Cyprus and the Syrian coast city of Lattakia after about 42 hours continuous swimming.

    Firas Moulla, a former world-class long-distance swimmer, thus became the first person in the world to swim across the waters between Europe and Asia in the Mediterranean, who would in turn enter the Guinness Book of World Records.

    Moulla, 36, began his long journey Thursday evening from the north point of Cyprus, Cape Andreas, and arrived at Lattakia Saturday morning.

    He was scheduled to go a distance of 110 km, but the currents forced him to swim 14 km more, making the total course at 124 km.

    "This is the most difficult attempt in my swimming career which was completed 3 years after my retirement, and it will be a perfect curtain call for my sports life," Moulla told reporters after he was landed.

    Moulla, who has been training for a year and a half in preparation for his latest challenge, failed in his first attempt on Sept. 11 after the navigating ships deviated from the original course to the direction of Turkey.

    He had to abandon his plan after swimming 36 km at that time.

    Moulla, the Asian long-distance swimming champion in 2002, had dominated the inter-Arab long-distance swimming championships during 1991-2003.

    He also won the fourth place in the world swimming championship in 1998 in Japan and performed strongly in world championships in Canada, Argentina and Croatia.

    Moulla, currently Chairman of the Asian Long-distance Swimming Association and Vice Chairman both of the Syrian Sports Association and the Syrian Olympic Committee, had previously swum the English Channel between Dover and Callais.