Niko Nestor

Niko Nestor was born in Struga on 10.06.1934. His education was in Ohrid and Skopje. As a very young boy he was attracted by the wonderful water springs of the river Crni Drim (Black Drim) from the beautiful lake of Ohrid. His swimming career started early, beginning in 1945-46 at the age of 9-10 years, as a member of the Swimming Club 'Ohridski branovi' (Ohrid waves). After courses organised by the Macedonian Swimming Committee under the Yugoslav Swimming Organization, Niko Nestor was distinguished by his swimming potential and won races in Split as a member of the newly established Macedonian Swimming and Water polo Team. His incredibly strong personality sought new targets. These became greater distances Lake Ohrid: St. Stefan to Ohrid, Pestani to Ohrid, St.Naum to Ohrid. By this remarkable achievement, Niko Nestor's dream had become a reality. He became the first man from the Eastern block countries to swam across the Channel, or as introduced by the British newspapers: "First man behind the iron curtain to succeed in swimming the Channel". Taking into consideration that at that time the Eastern Block was approximately 1 billion people, it is easy to imagine the importance this had at this time. After his crossing the Channel La Manche in 1959, Niko Nestor was hailed as a hero in his place of birth, Struga, where thousands of people gathered to welcome him home calling out: " Niko, Niko !!" It was something unforgettable. Joyful and proud, they carried him on their arms to the Hotel 'Palace' where a press briefing had been arranged and after the President of the Republic organised the reception in his honour.尼科·内斯托尔（Niko Nestor）于1934年6月10日出生在斯特鲁加（Struga），他的学业在奥赫里德（Ohrid）与斯科普里（Skopje）完成。童年时期，他便被奥赫里德湖（Lake Ohrid）畔的克里姆河（Crni Drim，又称Black Drim）秀美的泉流所吸引。 他的游泳生涯起步极早：1945至1946年间，年仅9至10岁的他便加入了“奥赫里德之波”（Ohridski branovi，即Ohrid waves）游泳俱乐部。在南斯拉夫游泳联合会（Yugoslav Swimming Organization）下属的马其顿游泳委员会（Macedonian Swimming Committee）组织的训练课程中，尼科·内斯托尔展现出了出众的游泳天赋，并以新成立的马其顿游泳与水球队队员的身份，在斯普利特（Split）的赛事中斩获佳绩。 他凭借极强的个人进取心，不断挑战更高远的目标——横跨奥赫里德湖的多项长距离游泳挑战：圣斯特凡（St. Stefan）至奥赫里德、佩斯塔尼（Pestani）至奥赫里德、圣瑙姆（St.Naum）至奥赫里德。凭借这些非凡成就，尼科·内斯托尔的梦想终成现实：他成为东欧集团首位横渡拉芒什海峡（La Manche，即英吉利海峡）的游泳选手，正如英国媒体当时的报道所称：“铁幕之后首位成功横渡海峡的游泳选手”。考虑到彼时东欧集团总人口约达10亿，这项成就的历史分量不言而喻。 1959年成功横渡拉芒什海峡后，尼科·内斯托尔在故乡斯特鲁加被奉为英雄，数千民众聚集街头欢迎他凯旋，齐声高呼：“尼科！尼科！”那一幕令人终生难忘。人们满怀喜悦与自豪，将他举过肩头，送往安排了新闻发布会的“宫殿酒店”（Hotel 'Palace'），随后该国总统亦专门为他举办了欢迎招待会。