Diana Nyad is an endurance athlete, journalist, and author best known for completing the 110-mile open-water swim from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida at age 64. After four failed attempts spanning more than three decades, she became the first person to make the crossing without a protective shark cage, swimming for nearly 53 hours through the Gulf Stream.

Long before the Cuba swim, Diana had established herself as a record-setting long-distance swimmer, including a 28-mile circumnavigation of Manhattan and a 102-mile swim from the Bahamas to Florida. She later built a distinguished career in sports broadcasting and journalism, covering major global sporting events and interviewing some of the world’s most accomplished athletes.

Her return to the Cuba swim after decades away from competitive endurance sport became a defining moment not only in athletics, but in the broader conversation about aging, resilience, and the pursuit of unfinished dreams. Since completing the crossing in 2013, she has written the memoir Find a Way, performed a one-woman stage show, and continues to speak about preparation, persistence, and the role of team in achieving ambitious goals.

Her story was adapted into the 2023 film Nyad, introducing her journey to a new generation.