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U.S. swimmer Diana Nyad swims on her way to Florida from Havana, while flanked by two assistants in kayaks with an assistance boat in front August 7, 2011. The 61-year-old plunged into the Straits of Florida at dusk on Sunday to begin what she hopes will be a world record 103-mile (168 km) swim from Cuba to Florida.DESMOND BOYLAN

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American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad , 61, swims in Cuban waters, offshore Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011. Nyad jumped into Cuban waters Sunday evening and set off in a bid to become the first person to swim across the Florida Straits without the aid of a shark cage.

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U.S. swimmer Diana Nyad looks at the ocean before her attempt to swim to Florida from Havana August 7, 2011. The 61-year-old plunged into the Straits of Florida at dusk on Sunday to begin what she hopes will be a world record 103-mile (168 km) swim from Cuba to Florida.

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U.S swimmer Diana Nyad jumps into the Straits of Florida in Havana August 7, 2011. Nyad, 61, started her swim at dusk on Sunday to begin what she hopes will be a world record 103-mile (168 km) swim from Cuba to Florida.

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US swimmer Diana Nyad prepares her swimsuit at Ernest Hemingway Nautical Club, on August 7, 2011, in Havana. Nyad plans to swim from Havana to Florida in a three-day non-stop journey.

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US swimmer Diana Nyad delivers a speech at Ernest Hemingway Nautical Club, in Havana on August 7, 2011, before swimming from Havana to Florida in a three-day non-stop journey.

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