Sports
Percival Milani & the Greatest Open Water Challenges
From the 14 Bis Crossing to the English Channel and 170 km on the São Francisco River, the swimmer details ultramarathon life.
Percival Milani looks back on his journey in open water swimming, from stepping away from executive life to crossing the English Channel. The ultramarathon swimmer also shares behind-the-scenes stories of extreme challenges in the São Francisco River and the Volta do Dragão.
Resuming high-performance sports after two decades away from the pool might seem improbable to many, but that pivotal shift shaped the journey of Percival Milani. A former executive, Percival returned to swimming at age 39 to combat the stress of corporate life, quickly transitioning from the sprint races of his youth to long-distance open water marathons, eventually becoming one of the premier figures and organizers in Brazil's swimming scene.
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From Amateur Restart to the English Channel
His first major test arrived in 2001 at the classic 14 Bis Crossing (Travessia 14 Bis). With a modest training routine of 2 km per day, three times a week, Percival pushed through the grueling course, but the experience paved the way for a much more ambitious goal: taking on the challenges of the English Channel in 2003 at age 41.
Preparation required a complete restructuring of his routine. Under the coaching of Agnaldo Orso F. and nutritional guidance from Dr. Oscar Naranjo, Percival balanced 5:00 a.m. strength training at Companhia Atlética with long workdays in Vila Olímpia, logging roughly 6 km in the water daily. Just a month before traveling to Dover, mass layoffs at the company where he served as director nearly derailed his plans, but the project pressed forward. During the official crossing, he braved water temperatures between 17°C and 18°C (62°F–64°F) and endured nearly six hours of severe seasickness and vomiting before touching the French shore.
170 km Down the São Francisco River and Fighting Strong Currents
In 2011, alongside swimmer Edmundo Foschini and fellow athletes, Percival tackled a pioneering 170 km expedition down the São Francisco River, completed across four consecutive days of continuous swimming without relays. Setting off from the historic town of Piranhas, the route demanded extreme logistical coordination, support from the Fire Department, and alignment with local riverfront municipalities along the Xingó Canyon.
The second day proved the most grueling: covering 59 km in 12 consecutive hours in the water while battling head winds that kicked up river swells of up to 70 cm until arriving in Traipu. Percival emphasized the vital importance of understanding hydrodynamics and dam flow rates to avoid the region's treacherous whirlpools—technical knowledge that continues to fuel his dream of tackling the final 45 km stretch between Penedo and the mouth of the São Francisco River.
The Volta do Dragão and a Legacy at the 14 Bis Crossing
Another landmark feat came in 2015 with the Volta do Dragão, a 72 km relay challenge circumnavigating Santo Amaro Island in Guarujá. The team set off from the Santos Air Base amid historic gale-force winds that ripped roofs off local buildings. Over 18 hours of open-sea relay swimming, the team had to quicken their pace and switch to short 15-minute bursts to overcome punishing head currents before finishing the complete loop.
With 12 finishes as an athlete in the 14 Bis—including one crossing completed solely by kicking—and more than two decades devoted to leading and organizing the event through the 14 Bis Association, Percival is now compiling a historic archive of all race results from 2000 to 2025. As he gradually passes the organizational torch to leaders like Wanderley Santos, he cements a legacy defined by resilience, technical pioneering, and uplifting the open water swimming community.
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