16-Year-Old Successfully Swims the English Channel — Up Next? Her Senior Year of High School

Maya Merhige swam the English Channel in 11 hours and 39 minutes on Saturday, July 13

Maya Merhige made quite a splash with her latest swimming accomplishment!

On Saturday, July 13, the 16-year-old girl swam across the English Channel, which spans 20.5 miles, in 11 hours and 39 minutes.

This accomplishment makes the teen one of the youngest swimmers to complete the impressive Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, which includes the English Channel, the Catalina Channel and Manhattan 20 Bridges swims.

As if the accomplishment itself wasn't enough, the teen has now raised over $100,000 in donations to fund crucial cancer research.

“I’m so grateful and excited to have successfully swum the English Channel and completed the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming,” Maya said in a press release obtained by PEOPLE.

“Swimming the English Channel this year was a big goal of mine for many reasons. This year marks my ninth year participating with Swim Across America," she wrote. "With the generous support of family, friends and others, I have been able to raise an incredible $100,000 to fight cancer, which has gone directly to the Swim Across America San Francisco beneficiary UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals."

Related: 14-Year-Old Illinois Girl to Swim Across Lake Michigan for Cancer Research: 'I Want to Help Find a Cure'

"This past year, I’ve also endured some health battles of my own, and my personal experience has made me even more inspired and passionate about supporting cancer research and treatments at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals," the teen added.

"I’m also going to be a senior in high school this fall and next year will look very different for me as I will leave home to start college," she remarked. "So this was the year to swim the English Channel!”

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Her own medical journey began in March 2023 following a skiing accident. Doctors then discovered a benign tumor on her pancreas.

This medical scare, which included a 10-night hospital stay in May, impacted her training schedule, and she was unable to swim as much as she wanted to. However, once she was able to get back in the water, she "really had to kick my training into gear."

Related: Mom Swims Across America to Honor 14-Year-Old Daughter Who Died of Cancer: 'She Inspired All of Us'

Of course, it wasn't always easy.

"There were points while I was swimming the Channel where I wanted to give up," she reflected. "I swam through schools of jellyfish and had a lot of stomach pain, but I kept thinking that this doesn’t compare to what kids with cancer face. That helped me find the strength to keep going.”

On the day of her swim, Maya said that the water was cold and the currents were strong.

"I knew I had to keep swimming hard, no matter how exhausted I was, in order to get past the tidal current and land on the French shore at Cap Gris Nez," she recalled. "But I made it!”

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To celebrate her major accomplishment, the swimmer had her favorite meal, Chow Mein, ready for her on the boat.

Her father and friend were on the boat throughout the 20.5-mile swim, while her mom, sister and other extended family members waited for her back in England.

She went on to thank her family and all of her supporters who have encouraged her throughout her swimming career, remarking, "I’m exhausted, but very, very happy!”

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