More than four hours after her record-setting swim from Cuba to Florida, events finally caught up to Susie Maroney: During a live television interview, the 22-year-old Australian fainted.

About 150 people cheered Maroney as she emerged from the surf Monday at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park on Key West just 24 hours and 34 minutes after she plunged into the surf off of Havana, about 118 miles away. She became the first woman to swim between the two countries."It was the best feeling in the world. I was so glad to touch sand," the 5-foot-6, 127-pound Maroney said. "Definitely, your dreams can come true." She was badly sunburned and covered with welts from the jellyfish stings on her hands and feet and had to be helped from the water.

About 41/2 hours later, she fainted as she was being interviewed by CNN. Dr. Michael Stein, the physician who checked Maroney's vital signs when she emerged from the surf, said she quickly regained consciousness and returned to her hotel room to rest.

"She should have been sleeping," Stein said. "She was already dehydrated from 24 hours of swimming and then went down to the beach and got even more dehydrated in the hot sun."

View Comments

Said Maroney: "I'm exhausted, I just fainted. I think (it was) a mixture of all the salt in my mouth and also the sun."

To keep up her spirits, Maroney replayed her favorite pop songs and episodes of "Seinfeld" in her head. "I thought I saw monkeys hanging on the cage," said the Australian swimmer. "I sang songs, happy ones, you know, like Madonna's."

Her team said she was the first person to complete the swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys. That claim was disputed before she even reached shore.

Walter Poenisch made the crossing in 1978 at age 64, but critics said no independent observers watched the trip to verify he was unassisted all the way. Unlike Maroney, he used flippers on his feet. His time was 34 hours and 15 minutes.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.