Frenchman with no arms and legs prepares to swim English Channel

London, June 1 (ANI): Frenchman Philippe Croizon, who lost his limbs in a freak accident, hopes to complete the 22 mile crossing of the English Channel in 24 hours.

If he is successful, the feat will earn him a place in the record books, The Telegraph reports.

Croizon, 42, who is nicknamed "Ironman", lost his arms and legs in 1994. His limbs had to be amputated after a TV aerial he was trying to fix touched an overhead powerline, sending 20,000 volts of electricity through his body.

Since the accident he has vowed to lead as normal a life as possible and now, inspired by a documentary he watched in hospital, he has set his sights on swimming the Channel, the Daily Mail reports.

Just two years ago he was barely able to swim two lengths of his local swimming pool.

But after an intensive training schedule of 30 hours a week in the pool he has built up enough muscle and stamina to attempt the challenging Channel crossing from Folkestone, Kent, to Cap-Gris-Nez, near Calais.

Croizon will use specially-designed flippers to help him move through the water and will be accompanied by a full medical team. (ANI)