Shoulder pain forced an Ottawa teen to abandon her swim across Lake Ontario.

Maya Farrell’s father says the 16-year-old was pulled from the water early Sunday morning as she attempted an 88 km swim from Rochester, New York to Brighton, Ontario.

It’s the widest stretch on Lake Ontario.

Farrell’s father says Maya travelled about 35 km in 20 hours, but she battled pain in her right shoulder for about four hours. He said “In the end, we made the decision for her, because Vicki (coach Vicki Keith) and I knew she would not voluntarily get out of the water.”

Maya was coached by legendary Canadian marathon swimmer Vicki Keith. 

In 2016, Farrell attempted to become the youngest person to swim across Lake Ontario from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Toronto. After swimming for over 24 hours and less than 300 metres from shore, Farrell was forced out of the water due to lightning.

 

At about 3:20am this morning, we had to pull Maya from the water after she had travelled about 35km and almost 20 hours of swimming. For the previous four hours, she had battled pain in her right shoulder and struggled with figuring out how to continue but also not to quit. In the end, we made the decision for her, because Vicki and I knew she would not voluntarily get out of the water. It was the right decision as she had stalled for about two hours. I am so proud of what Maya has done over the past few months, facing the losses in her life and persevering with her incredible goal that she chose herself. She planned her own journey and aimed to be not just another open water swimmer, but to be the best. When I looked out on the vastness of Lake Ontario with about 65km to go, I was in awe of what Maya was doing. It simply blew me away. She is a true champion with heart, courage, determination and a will to succeed like no other. Today was not her day, but there will be others. She will be stronger and wiser thanks to the amazing experiences she has had and the huge goals she has set for herself. I love you, Maya. I could not be more proud of you, and I am so lucky to be your Dad! Thank you to everyone for your support for Maya! #mayaswim2018 #womeninsport #activelifestyle #fitandhealthy #outdoorfitness #fitwomeninspire #wildswimming #swimfit #endurancetraining #openwaterswimming #marathonswimming #marathonswimmer #marathontraining #lakeontario #greatlakes #lakeswimming #lakeswimmer #swimming #greatlakesswimming #training #tsn #bigswim #music #musicmakesme #musicheals #musictherapy

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