Mike Horn named extreme sportsman of 2001

Horn (centre) arrives at the glittering ceremony flanked by friends Keystone

The Swiss-based adventurer, Mike Horn, has been named extreme sportsman of the year at the glittering Laureus World Sports Award in Monte Carlo.

The South African received the award following his successful “Latitude 0°” expedition last year. Horn became the first man to traverse the globe along the equator without using any form of automated transport.

He circumnavigated the globe by walking, canoeing, sailing and cycling in an expedition lasting 17 months and covering 40,000 kilometres. Horn’s trip took him across three continents and three oceans, and he never strayed more than 40 kilometres from the equator.

Horn has an impressive record as an adventurer. In 1997, he made a name for himself with his solo, unassisted hydrospeed descent of the entire length of the Amazon River.

His career as an extreme sportsman was launched in 1994, when he descended the Mont-Blanc glacier with his hydrospeed.

He has just aborted an attempt to cross Greenland on skis and pulled by kites in record time. He and his two teammates, Swiss mountain guides Jean Troillet and Erhard Loretan, were forced to quit due to insufficient winds.

Horn lives in the Swiss Alps near the resort of Chateau d’Oex, where he runs an outdoor activities centre.

The glittering sports award ceremony, dubbed the “Oscars of the sporting world” drew some real Oscar winners in the form of the actor, Michael Douglas, and his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones.

swissinfo with agencies