Neil Agius is a Maltese long-distance swimmer, former Olympian, and world-record holder in open water swimming. He represented Malta in the 400m freestyle at the 2004 Athens Olympics, where he set a national record during qualification. Agius once held Malta’s records in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle. After his Olympic career, he turned to ultra-endurance swimming to raise awareness for environmental causes. In 2018 and 2019, he completed swims around Malta and Gozo, respectively, to highlight the issue of marine plastic. In 2020, Agius swam from Sicily to Malta, becoming only the second person ever to do so, completing the challenge in a record 28 hours. In 2021, he swam 125.7 km from Linosa to Gozo in what was likely a world record for the longest continuous unassisted open water swim at the time. He broke his own record in September 2024 with a 142 km non-stop swim, officially completed in 60 hours, 35 minutes, and four seconds. In September 2025, he completed the “Gozo 7” challenge, swimming around the island of Gozo for seven consecutive days, each time covering approximately 42 km in 15 hours per day. Agius is widely celebrated in Malta and was honored with a 266 kg bronze statue in 2021 for his achievements.