Five stories you may have missed

From feats of amazing endurance to larger-than-life mavericks, 2019 delivered inspiration in abundance

Sports made the front pages as well as the back pages all around the world in 2019 with the rugby and cricket World Cups, the World Athletics Championships and the women's soccer World Cup to name just a few. Amid the year's major headlines, however, there were a number of inspirational stories that you may have missed.

Coast to coast

Since Matthew Webb first swam across the English Channel in 1875, over 1,800 people have gone on to plough their way across one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

Only one, however, has crossed from England to France four times non-stop.

Take a bow Sarah Thomas, a 37-year-old American breast cancer survivor, whose 209-kilometer swim in September took 54 hours to complete.

Thomas, who had previously swam two single crossings, underwent treatment for an aggressive breast cancer in the summer of 2018.

She said the hardest part of the swim was dealing with the saltwater, which left her throat and mouth sore, while she also got stung in the face by a jellyfish.