Marathon swimmer Martin Strel landed in Tuanjiesha on Chongming Island Friday afternoon.

The Slovene completed a 4,600-kilometer swim in the Yangtze River in 50 days.

No one seemed to mind that Strel was 30 minutes behind schedule after finishing the final 20km stretch of the country's most famous river.

Exhausted, Strel thanked his Slovenian compatriots, his sponsors and locals who welcomed him to shore with a drum dance.

The 50-year-old may be the first foreigner to swim to Shanghai.

Before taming the mighty Yangtze, Strel previously conquered the Danube River in Europe and the Mississippi River in the United States. He holds three Guinness World Records.

Whenever he sets out on another aquatic journey, he uses the motto "swim for peace, friendship and clean waters."

Strel's skin was peeling on his wrists, ankles and neck where the swimsuit did not cover.

"The extremely hot weather is hard to grapple with," Strel said. "But I had to choose this season because the tides are relatively easy to swim with."

Strel's journey started on June 10 from Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan Province.

He has since managed to beat his own 2002 record when he swam 3,797km of the Mississippi River.

In the early stage of the Yangtze swim, Strel risked his own life to save others.

"I saved two Americans who accidentally fell into the water from a lifeboat when we were in the Jinsha River (the upper reaches of the Yangtze River)," Strel said.

Once a musician, the Slovene is now known as Europe's "superman."

"I became a professional swimmer in 1978, but before that I was a guitarist," Strel said. "There was no specific turning point between these two careers."

He said he encountered many difficulties along the way, but with the help of his team, Strel overcame the obstacles.

His safety team comprised both Chinese and Slovene members.

"The Yangtze River is the most dangerous and magnificent river I have ever met," the Guinness record holder said after he tamed the world's third longest waterway.

What's next, the Nile River or the Amazon River?

"Maybe," he said.

(Shanghai Daily July 31, 2004)