Hundreds swim in Chicago river for first time in nearly 100 years

Almost 300 swimmers took part in the Chicago river swim

Hundreds of people have swam in a famous river in the city of Chicago, in the US, for the first time in 98 years.

Around 300 people took part in the organised event, braving the chilly waters for a one mile swim.

People have been unable to swim in the river for so long due to high levels of pollution.

Organisers tested the water before the event to make sure it was safe for swimming.

As well as showing the environmental success of the clean-up of the river, the event also helped to raise money for charity, with donations going towards research into ALS, a form of motor neurone disease.

The Chicago River is now at its cleanest levels on record, supporting more than 80 species of fish and a growing diversity of wildlife.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said: "The Chicago River Swim is a symbol of Chicago's resilience and progress. Once too polluted for recreation, the river has been restored as one of our city's greatest assets. Today shows how far we've come in reclaiming our environment for future generations."

The water had been tested weeks before the event to make sure it was clean

All swimmers taking part were checked to make sure they could complete the course.

They included Olympic swimmer Olivia Smoliga, originally from Chicago, who won gold in Rio 2016 and bronze in Tokyo 2020.

She came first in the women's one-mile race with a time of 22:45.

Doug McConnell, a Chicago local and co-founder of the event, had been asking the city's leaders for more than a decade to allow a swim in the river, the first such event since 1927.

He was inspired by similar clean-ups of famous rivers in cities such as Paris, Munich and Amsterdam: "Seeing that really planted a seed, and we are thrilled we are finally doing this and that it has got global attention – we had applications across the US and 13 countries,"

He now hopes this will become an annual event and spread to other US cities.

"This is more than just a race, it's a tribute to the river's revival and a commitment to funding research and education that changes lives," added Doug.

The event raised a total of $150,000 (over £110,000) for ALS research.