Nathalie Pohl

Pohl has been swimming since the age of five, initially for various Hessian clubs competitively. As a 19-year-old, she switched to open water swimming in 2014.[5] In her first year, she took part in the Bodenseequerung (Lake Constance Crossing),[6] the 27th Lake Zurich Swim in Switzerland[7] as well as the Clean Half Marathon Swim[8] and New World Harbour Race in Hong Kong.[9]

In 2015, she launched her first attempt to cross the English Channel and thus the first leg of the Oceans Seven, but failed to do so. A year later, she set her first world record, breaking the previous women's record for the 14 km Strait of Gibraltar, which had been set in 2010. In October of the same year, she crossed the English Channel on her second attempt. Thus, in 2016, she had successfully completed two of the seven Oceans Seven legs.[5] In 2017, Pohl crossed the Catalina Channel on her first attempt.[6] A year later, she had to prematurely postpone her crossing of the Tsugaru Strait in Japan due to a broken rib.[5]

In 2018, Pohl became the first German swimmer to achieve the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. She earned this title by crossing the English Channel and Catalina Canal in previous years, as well as completing the 20 Bridges Swim around Manhattan in June of that year.[8][3]

In 2019, she completed Tsugaru Strait, her fourth leg of the Oceans Seven, on her second attempt. That same year, the first attempt to cross Cook Strait failed. In February 2020, she failed in her second attempt.[5] However, in the same year, she achieved her second world record by crossing the Jersey Channel almost an hour faster than the previous record holder and over a quarter of an hour faster than any previous male swimmer.[2] In August 2022, she crossed the Kaiwi Channel from Molokai to Oahu, her fifth leg of the Oceans Seven.[5] In early 2023, she crossed Cook Strait on her third attempt, her sixth leg of the Oceans Seven.[4][10]

In addition, she competed in international competitions, including in Israel,[3] Australia,[11] Spain[12] and the United Arab Emirates.[13] She is coached by Joshua Neuloh[14] and Adam Walker.[6][15]

Pohl has been an investor in Restube since 2018. The company sells a sort of airbag for swimmers in the water. She is also the patron of the Water Experience Academy initiated by the company. The academy raises children's awareness of swimming in open water so that they can move safely there.[18] Pohl is also a founding member of the non-profit organisation Menschen brauchen Menschen e.V., which is sponsored by Deutsche Vermögensberatung AG.[19] Among other things, the association offers free beginners' swimming courses for children aged five to eleven in cooperation with the Marburger Tafel and the DLRG Marburg.[20]

Pohl is the granddaughter of Reinfried Pohl (deceased), founder of Deutsche Vermögensberatung AG,[19] and daughter of Andreas Pohl, Chairman of the board of Deutsche Vermögensberatung AG.[6]

• Official website of Nathalie Pohl